Few-Layer Antimonene by Liquid-Phase Exfoliation

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 55; no. 46; pp. 14345 - 14349
• Main Authors: Gibaja, Carlos, Rodriguez-San-Miguel, David, Ares, Pablo, Gómez-Herrero, Julio, Varela, Maria, Gillen, Roland, Maultzsch, Janina, Hauke, Frank, Hirsch, Andreas, Abellán, Gonzalo, Zamora, Félix
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 07.11.2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: antimonene; Antimony; atomic force microscopy; Communication; Communications; Crystals; Energy loss; liquid-phase exfoliation; Raman spectroscopy; Transmission electron microscopy; two-dimensional materials; antimonene; two-dimensional materials; Raman spectroscopy; atomic force microscopy; liquid-phase exfoliation
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201605298

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.