In the field of materials science, a novel covalent diamond graphite material has attracted widespread attention from the scientific community. This material not only combines the excellent properties of diamond and graphite, such as superhard, extreme toughness, and conductivity, but also demonstrates enormous research and development potential in the fields of superhard materials and electronic devices. Recently, the research team of Shenyang National Research Center for Materials Science, Institute of Metals, Chinese Academy of Sciences, made a breakthrough in the technology of ionized chemical vapor deposition (CVD), successfully prepared this new material, and conducted in-depth research on its growth mechanism and electronic properties.

The team led by Researcher Huang Nan, based on plasma CVD technology, successfully increased the plasma electron density by 2.7 times through a carefully designed confined ceramic sample stage, providing sufficient energy for activating carbon atoms and promoting their covalent connection with diamond in graphite form. The observation results of transmission electron microscopy show that specific crystal planes of diamond and graphite are covalently connected in a specific correspondence, and this interface structure is significantly different from the covalent diamond graphite interface prepared by traditional high-temperature and high-pressure methods.

Further analysis of the electron energy loss spectrum indicates an increase in the electron density of graphite at the interface, displaying sp2/sp3 carbon hybrid characteristics. This suggests that diamond and graphite have formed strong interactions at the covalent bond interface. Through first principles calculations, the research team revealed how this strong interaction interface affects the transfer and distribution of electrons, thereby altering the electronic properties of interface carbon, leading to an abnormal increase in the density of states of graphite near the Fermi level, and introducing local energy levels at the bottom of the conduction band of diamond.

This study not only reveals the growth mechanism of covalent diamond graphite materials, but also demonstrates how to modulate the electronic properties of the materials through precise control of the preparation process. The research results, titled "Covalent bonded diamond nanoplate with engineered electronic properties of diamond", were published in the internationally renowned academic journal "Advanced Functional Materials" and received funding from institutions such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Industry experts say that this breakthrough research not only provides new ideas for the development of diamond electronic devices, but also opens up new directions for the future development of materials science. With the deepening of research, this new covalent diamond graphite material is expected to show broad application prospects in multiple fields such as superhard materials, electronic devices, and energy storage.