Antimonene, defined in sensu stricto as a single layer of antimony atoms, is recently the focus of numerous theoretical works predicting a variety of interesting properties and is quickly attracting ...the attention of the scientific community. However, what places antimonene in a different category from other 2D crystals is its strong spin–orbit coupling and a drastic evolution of its properties from the monolayer to the few‐layer system. The recent isolation of this novel 2D material pushes the interest for antimonene even further. Here, a review of both theoretical predictions and experimental results is compiled. First, an account of the calculations anticipating an electronic band structure suitable for optoelectronics and thermoelectric applications in monolayer form and a topological semimetal in few‐layer form is given. Second, the different approaches to produce antimonene—mechanical and liquid phase exfoliation, and epitaxial growth methods—are reviewed. In addition, this work also reports the main characterization techniques used to study this exotic material. This review provides insights for further exploring the appealing properties of antimonene and puts forward the opportunities and challenges for future applications from (opto)electronic device fabrication to biomedicine.
Antimonene, a single layer of antimony atoms, is a promising 2D material with potential applications in a variety of technological fields, including optoelectronics and energy harvesting. Recently, the isolation of a single layer of antimonene has opened the door to the possibility of realizing these predictions. Recent progress on antimonene is reviewed.
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.
Very stable suspensions of high‐quality single‐ or few‐layer antimonene were obtained by liquid‐phase exfoliation under sonication without the need for a surfactant. The Raman spectrum of antimonene was found to strongly depend on its thickness, which was also rationalized by quantum‐mechanical calculations.
Antimonene fabricated by mechanical exfoliation is highly stable under atmospheric conditions over periods of months and even when immersed in water. Density functional theory confirms the ...experiments and predicts an electronic gap of ≈1 eV. These results highlight the use of antimonene for optoelectronics applications.
A coordination polymer is fully exfoliated by solvent‐assisted interaction only. The soft‐delamination process results from the structure of the starting material, which shows a layered structure ...with weak layer‐to‐layer interactions and cavities with the ability to locate several solvents in an unselective way. These results represent a significant step forward towards the production of structurally designed one‐molecule thick 2D materials with tailored physico‐chemical properties.
The extraordinary strength, stiffness1 and lightness of graphene have generated great expectations of its application in flexible electronics and as a mechanical reinforcement agent. However, the ...presence of lattice defects, unavoidable in sheets obtained by scalable routes, might degrade its mechanical properties2, 3. Here we report a systematic study on the elastic modulus and strength of graphene with a controlled density of defects. Counter-intuitively, the in-plane Young's modulus increases with increasing defect density up to almost twice the initial value for a vacancy content of ~0.2%. For a higher density of vacancies, the elastic modulus decreases with defect inclusions. The initial increase in Young's modulus is explained in terms of a dependence of the elastic coefficients on the momentum of flexural modes predicted for two-dimensional membranes4, 5. In contrast, the fracture strength decreases with defect density according to standard fracture continuum models. These quantitative structure-property relationships, measured in atmospheric conditions, are of fundamental and technological relevance and provide guidance for applications in which graphene mechanics represents a disruptive improvement.
Highly conductive chemically‐derived graphene can be synthesized using an efficient two‐step method starting from graphene oxide. The key strategy involves the use of a CVD process to heal defects ...contained within the monolayers, which imparts a two order of magnitude enhancement of electrical conductivity over the merely reduced samples.
Antimonene, a novel group 15 two‐dimensional material, is functionalized with a tailormade perylene bisimide through strong van der Waals interactions. The functionalization process leads to a ...significant quenching of the perylene fluorescence, and surpasses that observed for either graphene or black phosphorus, thus allowing straightforward characterization of the flakes by scanning Raman microscopy. Furthermore, scanning photoelectron microscopy studies and theoretical calculations reveal a remarkable charge‐transfer behavior, being twice that of black phosphorus. Moreover, the excellent stability under environmental conditions of pristine antimonene has been tackled, thus pointing towards the spontaneous formation of a sub‐nanometric oxide passivation layer. DFT calculations revealed that the noncovalent functionalization of antimonene results in a charge‐transfer band gap of 1.1 eV.
Flake off: Reported for the first time is the noncovalent functionalization of antimonene using perylene bisimides (PDI). The significant quenching of the fluorescence of the PDI allows straightforward characterization of the antimonene flakes deposited on Si/SiO2 substrates. This work paves the way for the development of novel applications based on antimonene by tailoring its electronic properties.
2D materials: to graphene and beyond Mas-Ballesté, Rubén; Gómez-Navarro, Cristina; Gómez-Herrero, Julio ...
Nanoscale,
01/2011, Letnik:
3, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This review is an attempt to illustrate the different alternatives in the field of 2D materials. Graphene seems to be just the tip of the iceberg and we show how the discovery of alternative 2D ...materials is starting to show the rest of this iceberg. The review comprises the current state-of-the-art of the vast literature in concepts and methods already known for isolation and characterization of graphene, and rationalizes the quite disperse literature in other 2D materials such as metal oxides, hydroxides and chalcogenides, and metal-organic frameworks.
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‐treatment of these nanolayers with chloroform gives rise to antimonene surfaces showing low oxidation that can be easily contacted with microelectrodes. Therefore, the reported procedure offers a way to solve two critical problems for using antimonene in many applications: large‐scale preparation of high‐quality antimonene and the ability to set electrical contacts useful for device fabrication.
A continuous‐flow synthesis approach offers large‐scale preparation of high‐quality few‐layer antimonene (FLA) hexagons. This procedure is based on colloidal synthesis followed by a post‐treatment with chloroform to isolate FLA hexagons which present ultra‐large lateral dimensions and a few nanometers thickness. Mechanical and electrical analyses reveal their high‐quality and low surface oxidation, opening the door for applications in electronics and beyond.
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