We show that acetone-derived graphene coating can effectively enhance the corrosion efficiency of copper (Cu) in a seawater environment (0.5–0.6 M (∼3.0–3.5%) sodium chloride). By applying a drop of acetone (∼20 μl cm⁻²) on Cu surfaces, rapid thermal annealing allows the facile and rapid synthesis of graphene films on Cu surfaces with a monolayer coverage of almost close to ∼100%. Under optimal growth conditions, acetone-derived graphene is found to have a relatively high crystallinity, comparable to common graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition. The resulting graphene-coated Cu surface exhibits 37.5 times higher corrosion resistance as compared to that of mechanically polished Cu. Further, investigation on the role of graphene coating on Cu surfaces suggests that the outstanding corrosion inhibition efficiency (IE) of 97.4% is obtained by protecting the underlying Cu against the penetration of both dissolved oxygen and chlorine ions, thanks to the closely spaced atomic structure of the graphene sheets. The increase of graphene coating thickness results in the enhancement of the overall corrosion IE up to ∼99%, which can be attributed to the effective blocking of the ionic diffusion process via grain boundaries. Overall, our results suggest that the acetone-derived graphene film can effectively serve as a corrosion-inhibiting coating in the seawater level and that it may have a promising role to play for potential offshore coating.

The development of ultrathin barrier films is vital to the advanced semiconductor industry. Graphene appears to hold promise as a protective coating; however, the polycrystalline and defective nature of engineered graphene hinders its practical applications. Here, we investigate the oxidation behavior of graphene-coated Cu foils at intrinsic graphene defects of different origins. Macro-scale information regarding the spatial distribution and oxidation resistance of various graphene defects is readily obtained using optical and electron microscopies after the hot-plate annealing. The controlled oxidation experiments reveal that the degree of structural deficiency is strongly dependent on the origins of the structural defects, the crystallographic orientations of the underlying Cu grains, the growth conditions of graphene, and the kinetics of the graphene growth. The obtained experimental and theoretical results show that oxygen radicals, decomposed from water molecules in ambient air, are effectively inverted at Stone–Wales defects into the graphene/Cu interface with the assistance of facilitators.

The last decade has witnessed significant progress in two-dimensional van der Waals (2D vdW) materials research; however, a number of challenges remain for their practical applications. The most significant challenge for 2D vdW materials is the control of the early stages of nucleation and growth of the material on preferred surfaces to eventually create large grains with digital thickness controllability, which will enable their incorporation into high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. This Perspective discusses the technical challenges to be overcome in the metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth of 2D group 6 transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) atomic crystals and their heterostructures, as well as future research aspects in vdW epitaxy for 2D TMDs via MOCVD. In addition, we encourage the traditional MOCVD community to apply their expertise in the field of “2D vdW materials,” which will continue to grow at an exponential rate.

Broadband and ultrathin electromagnetic interference (EMI)‐shielding materials are crucial for efficient high‐frequency data transmission in emerging technologies. MXenes are renowned for their outstanding electrical conductivity and EMI‐shielding capability. While substituting nitrogen (N) for carbon (C) atoms in the conventional MXene structure is theoretically expected to enhance these properties, synthesis challenges have hindered progress. Here, it is demonstrated that Ti _x C _y N _{x ‐ y ‐1} T _z MXene films with optimized N content achieve a record‐high electrical conductivity of 35 000 S cm ⁻¹ and exceptional broadband EMI shielding across the X (8–12.4 GHz), K _a (26.5–40 GHz), and W (75–110 GHz) bands—outperforming all previously reported materials even at reduced thicknesses. By synthesizing a full series of high‐stoichiometric Ti _x AlC _y N _{x ‐ y ‐1} MAX phases without intermediate phases, the impact of N substitution on the physical and electrical properties of Ti _x C _y N _{x ‐ y ‐1} T _z MXene flakes is systematically explored, achieving complete composition tunability in both dispersion and film forms. These findings position Ti _x C _y N _{x ‐ y ‐1} T _z MXenes as promising candidates for applications spanning from conventional lower‐frequency domains to next‐generation sub‐THz electronics.