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Radiation-induced defect dynamics in two-dimensional/three-dimensional systems: A dimensionality advantage preserved within patterned graphene–SiC heterostructures

Maciej J. Szary1,2,*, Jakub Jagiełło2, Wiktoria Reddig1, Artur Dobrowolski2, Tymoteusz Ciuk2, Rafał Prokopowicz3, Maciej Ziemba3, Marek Wzorek2, and Semir El-Ahmar1,†

  • *Contact author: maciej.szary@put.poznan.pl
  • †Contact author: semir.el-ahmar@put.poznan.pl
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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 034031 – Published 15 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/xdmg-zbky

Abstract

2D/3D heterostructures provide a powerful platform for uncovering how reduced dimensionality governs radiation response. While two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides, and MXenes have demonstrated notable structural resilience to radiation, fundamental differences in their radiation response compared with bulk three-dimensional (3D) crystals remain largely unverified. Here, we fabricate patterned a-Al2O3/graphene/H-intercalated SiC(0001) heterostructures and expose them to fast neutrons (1–2 MeV) across fluences from 1.9×1017 to 6.5×1018  n/cm2. The results reveal a striking disparity: despite the 3D environment, graphene accumulates damage 69–273 times more slowly than SiC, with its resilience further enhanced at high fluences due to early saturation, soft limited to only 0.0064% at 1.3×1019  n/cm2. This behavior is attributed to a two-channel defect accumulation model in 2D materials, involving interfacial evolution that dominates the early-stage response when the interface is chemically active, and direct lattice damage from atomic displacements, which persists but remains comparatively weak. These findings establish 2D lattices as fundamentally more radiation-resistant than 3D crystals and demonstrate that their advantages persist in realistic device architectures. Harnessing this resilience offers orders-of-magnitude improvements in structural stability for technologies operating under extreme irradiation, including fusion and fission reactors, particle accelerators, and aerospace systems.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 034031– Published 15 September, 2026
  • Received 25 June 2025
  • Revised 15 April 2026
  • Accepted 7 July 2026
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