Two-Dimensional Binary Honeycomb Layer Formed by Ag and Te on Ag(111)

• Published in: The journal of physical chemistry letters Vol. 11; no. 5; pp. 1609 - 1613
• Main Authors: Shah, J, Sohail, H. M, Uhrberg, R. I. G, Wang, W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 05.03.2020
• Subjects: Letter
• ISSN: 1948-7185; 1948-7185
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c00123

Inspired by the unique properties of graphene, research efforts have broadened to investigations of various other two-dimensional materials with the aim of exploring their properties for future applications. Our combined experimental and theoretical study confirms the existence of a binary honeycomb structure formed by Ag and Te on Ag(111). Low-energy electron diffraction shows sharp spots which provide evidence of an undistorted AgTe layer. Band structure data obtained by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy are closely reproduced by first-principles calculations, using density functional theory (DFT). This confirms the formation of a honeycomb structure with one Ag and one Te atom in the unit cell. In addition, the theoretical band structure reproduces also the finer details of the experimental bands, such as a split of one of the AgTe bands.