Exfoliation of Layered Topological Insulators Bi<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub> and Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> via Electrochemistry.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27936571.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.6b07096.
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Abstract
Among layered materials, topological insulators such as Bi<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub> and Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> are lately attracting much attention due to particular electronic properties and, especially with Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>, excellent thermoelectric properties. Methods of preparation of few-layered nanosheets of Bi<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub> and Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> range from the bottom-up chemical vapor deposition or hydrothermal synthesis from oxide precursors to the top-down mechanical exfoliation and liquid-based exfoliation supported by sonication from the natural bulk crystals. Here, we propose a simple and rapid electrochemical approach to exfoliate natural Bi<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub> and Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> crystals in aqueous media to single/few-layer sheets. The exfoliated materials have been characterized by scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy in addition to evaluation of their electrochemical properties. This electrochemical procedure represents a simple, reagent-free, and scalable method for the fabrication of single/few-layer sheets of these materials.