Borophene synthesis beyond the single-atomic-layer limit

Xiaolong Liu, Qiucheng Li, Qiyuan Ruan, Matthew S. Rahn, Boris I. Yakobson*, Mark C. Hersam*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

201 Scopus citations

Abstract

Synthetic two-dimensional (2D) materials have no bulk counterparts and typically exist as single atomic layers due to substrate-stabilized growth. Multilayer formation, although broadly sought for structure and property tuning, has not yet been achieved in the case of synthetic 2D boron: that is, borophene1,2. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the synthesis of an atomically well-defined borophene polymorph beyond the single-atomic-layer (SL) limit. The structure of this bilayer (BL) borophene is consistent with two covalently bonded α-phase layers (termed BL-α borophene) as evidenced from bond-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy, non-contact atomic force microscopy and density functional theory calculations. While the electronic density of states near the Fermi level of BL-α borophene is similar to SL borophene polymorphs, field-emission resonance spectroscopy reveals distinct interfacial charge transfer doping and a heightened local work function exceeding 5 eV. The extension of borophene polymorphs beyond the SL limit significantly expands the phase space for boron-based nanomaterials.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)35-40
Number of pages6
JournalNature materials
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2022

Funding

X.L., Q.L., M.S.R. and M.C.H. acknowledge support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR N00014\u221217-1-2993) and the National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (NSF DMR-1720139). Q.R. and B.I.Y. acknowledge support from the Electronics Division of the US Army Research Office (W911NF-16-1-0255) and the Robert Welch Foundation (C-1590).

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

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