Few‐Layer Antimonene by Liquid‐Phase Exfoliation

Abstract

We report on a fast and simple method to produce highly stable isopropanol/water (4:1) suspensions of few‐layer antimonene by liquid‐phase exfoliation of antimony crystals in a process that is assisted by sonication but does not require the addition of any surfactant. This straightforward method generates dispersions of few‐layer antimonene suitable for on‐surface isolation. Analysis by atomic force microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy confirmed the formation of high‐quality few‐layer antimonene nanosheets with large lateral dimensions. These nanolayers are extremely stable under ambient conditions. Their Raman signals are strongly thickness‐dependent, which was rationalized by means of density functional theory calculations.

Recent advances in synthesis, properties, and applications of phosphorene

“…Finally, the third category includes surface-assisted nanolayered solids such as silicene, germanene, stanene, etc. In a different approach, Gibaja and co-worker recently isolated few-layered antimonene by both liquid phase exfoliation 7 and mechanical cleavage 8 methods. Graphene, the first demonstrated and the most explored 2D material, has a crystalline form of sp 2 carbon atoms packed in a single-atom-thick planar honeycomb network.…”

Noncovalent Functionalization and Charge Transfer in Antimonene

“…[4][5][6][7] This result together with its excellent charge-carrier mobility and current on/off ratios renders BP ap erfect candidate for nanoelectronics and nanophotonics.H owever,i ts (in)stability represents am ajor drawback for the development of the real applications. [8][9][10][11] In contrast, its relative in the periodic table, antimonene,that is,asingle layer of antimony,exhibits aband gap of about 1.8-2.4 eV and an outstanding stability under ambient conditions.A ntimonene has been recently isolated for the very first time both by mechanical exfoliation [12] and liquid-phase exfoliation [13] as reported by our groups.A number of theoretical calculations predict extraordinary physical properties like high carrier mobility, [14] thermal conductivity, [15] and strain-induced band transition, [16] among others.…”

“…[4][5][6][7] This result together with its excellent charge-carrier mobility and current on/off ratios renders BP ap erfect candidate for nanoelectronics and nanophotonics.H owever,i ts (in)stability represents am ajor drawback for the development of the real applications. [8][9][10][11] In contrast, its relative in the periodic table, antimonene,that is,asingle layer of antimony,exhibits aband gap of about 1.8-2.4 eV and an outstanding stability under ambient conditions.A ntimonene has been recently isolated for the very first time both by mechanical exfoliation [12] and liquid-phase exfoliation [13] as reported by our groups.A number of theoretical calculations predict extraordinary physical properties like high carrier mobility, [14] thermal conductivity, [15] and strain-induced band transition, [16] among others.Therefore,a ntimonene appears to be ap romising platform for high-performance sensors, [17] double-gate MOSFETs, [18] spintronics, [19,20] optoelectronic applications, [21,22] energy storage and conversion, [23] and biomedicine.[24]Recently,v an der Waals and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been applied for the synthesis of antimonene on different surfaces,t hereby exhibiting good stabilities and high electrical conductivities of up to 10 4 Sm À1 in about 30 nm thick flakes. [25,26] Despite synthetic efforts,t he chemistry and therefore the molecular doping of antimonene remains completely unexplored.…”

“…[27,[29][30][31] TheR aman characterization of very thin antimonene flakes,o btained by microexfoliation, is challenging because of the very low non-resonant Raman intensities,asrecently reported by our group. [12,13] Therefore, fast detection of the exfoliated flakes is precluded by Raman spectroscopy,s ow eh ave recently optimized optical microscopy conditions to facilitate the identification of few-layer antimonene flakes. [32] Theu se of scanning probe microscopy techniques,h owever,i ss till imperative for an accurate determination of their thicknesses.Prior to the functionalization process,w ec haracterized several flakes by atomic-force microscopy (AFM), showing thicknesses in the 2.7-15 nm range (see Figures S1-S3 in the Supporting Information).…”

“…[13] Thes ame effect was observed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) for flakes grown by van der Waals epitaxy. [25] To shine light on the possible presence of oxygen on the antimonene flakes and gain knowledge on the functionalization process,aforefront technique,namely XPS photoelectron microscopy using synchrotron radiation on pristine and functionalized antimonene flakes was performed (Figure 2).…”