0000000000003846
AUTHOR
Enrique G. Michel
Exfoliation of Alpha-Germanium: A Covalent Diamond-Like Structure
2D materials have opened a new field in materials science with outstanding scientific and technological impact. A largely explored route for the preparation of 2D materials is the exfoliation of layered crystals with weak forces between their layers. However, its application to covalent crystals remains elusive. Herein, a further step is taken by introducing the exfoliation of germanium, a narrow-bandgap semiconductor presenting a 3D diamond-like structure with strong covalent bonds. Pure α-germanium is exfoliated following a simple one-step procedure assisted by wet ball-milling, allowing gram-scale fabrication of high-quality layers with large lateral dimensions and nanometer thicknesses.…
Unveiling the oxidation behavior of liquid-phase exfoliated antimony nanosheets
Abstract Antimonene, a monolayer of β-antimony, is increasingly attracting considerable attention, more than that of other monoelemental two-dimensional materials, due to its intriguing physical and chemical properties. Under ambient conditions, antimonene exhibits a high thermodynamic stability and good structural integrity. Some theoretical calculations predicted that antimonene would have a high oxidation tendency. However, it remains poorly investigated from the experimental point of view. In this work, we study the oxidation behavior of antimonene nanosheets (ANS) prepared by ultrasonication-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation. Using a set of forefront analytical techniques, a clear effe…
Continuous‐Flow Synthesis of High‐Quality Few‐Layer Antimonene Hexagons
2D materials show outstanding properties that can bring many applications in different technological fields. However, their uses are still limited by production methods. In this context, antimonene is recently suggested as a new 2D material to fabricate different (opto)electronic devices, among other potential applications. This work focuses on optimizing the synthetic parameters to produce high-quality antimonene hexagons and their implementation in a large-scale manufacturing procedure. By means of a continuous-flow synthesis, few-layer antimonene hexagons with ultra-large lateral dimensions (up to several microns) and a few nanometers thick are isolated. The suitable chemical post-treatm…
Liquid phase exfoliation of antimonene: systematic optimization, characterization and electrocatalytic properties
Antimonene, a novel group 15 two-dimensional material, is attracting great attention due to its outstanding physical and chemical properties. Despite its thermodynamic stability, the pronounced covalent character of the interlayer interactions imposes severe limitations on its exfoliation into mono- and few-layer. Here, we develop a systematic study of liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) with the aim to optimize antimonene production in terms of concentration and dimensional anisotropy, investigating the most relevant experimental factors affecting the exfoliation: pre-processing of pristine antimony, solvent selection based on Hansen solubility parameters and ultrasound conditions. Moreover, ex…