Three-Stage Synthesis of a Cobalt-Embedded Graphene-like Carbon Framework with Long-Range Atomic Order

Abstract: We report a three-stage synthesis of a hybrid metal-carbon 2D material, in which cobalt atoms are covalently embedded in the graphene-like carbon (GLC) matrix. The resulting material (CoGLC) exhibits a distinctive XRD pattern indicative of the ordered arrangement of cobalt atoms in the layers. Furthermore, we demonstrate the fabrication of surfactant-free conductive inks from CoGLC via electrochemical exfoliation, making it a promising candidate for applications in in flexible electronics, spintronics or electrocatalysis.