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A molecular pathway to corrosion-resistant printable copper.

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Title: A molecular pathway to corrosion-resistant printable copper.
Authors: Zhang, Jun (AUTHOR), Zhang, Qiubo (AUTHOR), Feng, Qikun (AUTHOR), Sun, Xiao (AUTHOR), Xu, Lin (AUTHOR), Wang, Zhongxuan (AUTHOR), Zheng, Xueying (AUTHOR), Yang, Linlin (AUTHOR), Khuje, Saurabh (AUTHOR), Zheng, Haimei (AUTHOR), Hu, Liangbing (AUTHOR), Ren, Shenqiang (AUTHOR)
Source: Science. 5/14/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6799, p766-770. 5p.
Subjects: Surface passivation, Ligands (Chemistry), Conductive ink, Flexible electronics, Heat treatment, Chemical processes, Copper corrosion
Abstract: Copper's exceptional electrical and thermal conductivities make it essential for electronics and energy systems. However, oxidation and corrosion limit its long-term reliability, and existing protection strategies often involve high-temperature or multistep processing. We report a molecularly reactive strategy that converts copper precursors to metallic copper at <150°C, while generating an ultrathin carbonaceous and copper(I) surface passivation. Catechol-based ligands mediate copper reduction, enable low-temperature interparticle fusion, and impart surface passivation, yielding flexible copper with low resistivity and exceptional stability (>1000 hours in acid, >200 hours in sulfide, >240 hours at 140°C). This strategy resolves the long-standing trade-off between conductivity, corrosion resistance, and processability for next-generation flexible electronics and energy systems. Editor's summary: The high electrical and thermal conductivities of copper make it essential for a range of applications, but it needs to be treated to prevent oxidation and corrosion to ensure long-term stability. The methods used to protect copper can require complex processing steps and toxic elements and often occur at elevated temperatures, which limits the use of sensitive substrates. Zhang et al. developed a conductive copper ink that uses small reductive molecular ligands to mediate the in situ decomposition of copper formate at temperatures between 100° and 150°C under ambient conditions. Once printed, organic residues that remain on the copper surface act as a protective barrier against oxidation and corrosion. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: A molecular pathway to corrosion-resistant printable copper.
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Zhang%2C+Jun%22&quot;&gt;Zhang, Jun&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Zhang%2C+Qiubo%22&quot;&gt;Zhang, Qiubo&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Feng%2C+Qikun%22&quot;&gt;Feng, Qikun&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Sun%2C+Xiao%22&quot;&gt;Sun, Xiao&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Xu%2C+Lin%22&quot;&gt;Xu, Lin&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Wang%2C+Zhongxuan%22&quot;&gt;Wang, Zhongxuan&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Zheng%2C+Xueying%22&quot;&gt;Zheng, Xueying&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Yang%2C+Linlin%22&quot;&gt;Yang, Linlin&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Khuje%2C+Saurabh%22&quot;&gt;Khuje, Saurabh&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Zheng%2C+Haimei%22&quot;&gt;Zheng, Haimei&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Hu%2C+Liangbing%22&quot;&gt;Hu, Liangbing&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Ren%2C+Shenqiang%22&quot;&gt;Ren, Shenqiang&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;JN&quot; term=&quot;%22Science%22&quot;&gt;Science&lt;/searchLink&gt;. 5/14/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6799, p766-770. 5p.
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  Data: Copper&#39;s exceptional electrical and thermal conductivities make it essential for electronics and energy systems. However, oxidation and corrosion limit its long-term reliability, and existing protection strategies often involve high-temperature or multistep processing. We report a molecularly reactive strategy that converts copper precursors to metallic copper at &lt;150&#176;C, while generating an ultrathin carbonaceous and copper(I) surface passivation. Catechol-based ligands mediate copper reduction, enable low-temperature interparticle fusion, and impart surface passivation, yielding flexible copper with low resistivity and exceptional stability (&gt;1000 hours in acid, &gt;200 hours in sulfide, &gt;240 hours at 140&#176;C). This strategy resolves the long-standing trade-off between conductivity, corrosion resistance, and processability for next-generation flexible electronics and energy systems. Editor&#39;s summary: The high electrical and thermal conductivities of copper make it essential for a range of applications, but it needs to be treated to prevent oxidation and corrosion to ensure long-term stability. The methods used to protect copper can require complex processing steps and toxic elements and often occur at elevated temperatures, which limits the use of sensitive substrates. Zhang et al. developed a conductive copper ink that uses small reductive molecular ligands to mediate the in situ decomposition of copper formate at temperatures between 100&#176; and 150&#176;C under ambient conditions. Once printed, organic residues that remain on the copper surface act as a protective barrier against oxidation and corrosion. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: &lt;i&gt;Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder&#39;s express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.&lt;/i&gt; (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1126/science.aed4488
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 5
        StartPage: 766
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Surface passivation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ligands (Chemistry)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Conductive ink
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Flexible electronics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Heat treatment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chemical processes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Copper corrosion
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: A molecular pathway to corrosion-resistant printable copper.
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              M: 05
              Text: 5/14/2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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