2D diamond structures in multilayer graphene: Simulation and experimental observation

The presented paper investigates the formation of nanodiamond structures within multilayer graphene through irradiation with fast heavy ions. The study demonstrates that Xe26+ ions with energies ranging from 26 to 167 MeV can create diamond regions in graphene with lateral sizes ranging from 5 to 20 nm. The density of nanodiamonds formed in the few-layer graphene films is estimated to be approximately (5–30)% of the ion fluence. We show that the final structure of the diamond structures is influenced by factors such as surface orientation, number of graphene layers, and lateral size. Atomistic simulations predicted unusual mechanical properties of the formed 2D composite: its Young's modulus obtained by indentation can significantly exceed the stiffness of the original graphene film.