Room‐Temperature Compression‐Induced Diamondization of Few‐Layer Graphene

Experimental and theoretical evidence for compression-induced diamondization of few-layer graphene is reported. Ab initio calculations predict that hydroxyl groups stabilize the sp3 hybridization of the two topmost carbon layers, creating a single layer of hydroxylated diamond, or diamondol, when graphene layers are compressed in the presence of water. Electric force microscopy measurements reveal a compression-induced charging inhibition of bilayer and multilayer graphene.