Resilience of the physicochemical properties of graphene-based materials for applications in harsh radiation environments

Abstract

The development of radiation-tolerant materials capable of maintaining structural, electrical, and thermal stability in extreme, radiation-rich environments remains a critical challenge in materials science. In this work, the effects of 60 MeV 35Cl ion irradiation on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and multilayer reduced graphene oxide (ML-rGO) were investigated. The samples were exposed to fluences of 5.11 x 10^9 and 1.3 x 10^10 ions/cm^2 and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and electrical transport measurements. The results show that the irradiation response is strongly influenced by the initial structural organization of the material. In HOPG, ion exposure leads to a progressive loss of crystalline order, evidenced by XRD peak broadening and an increase in the Raman ID/IG ratio, accompanied by a reduction in electrical transport performance. In contrast, ML-rGO exhibits distinct behavior at higher fluences, suggesting partial structural reorganization. The appearance of more defined graphitic features in XRD and Raman analyses, along with changes in surface morphology and electrical response, suggests the formation of more ordered sp2 domains. These findings indicate that irradiation effects vary with the initial degree of order, providing useful insights for selecting carbon-based materials for devices operating under severe radiation conditions.