Epitaxial Growth of Large-Scale α-Phase Antimonene.

Jaroch, Tomasz; Żurawek-Wyczesany, Lucyna; Stȩpniak-Dybala, Agnieszka; Krawiec, Mariusz; Kopciuszyński, Marek; Dróżdż, Piotr; Gołȩbiowski, Mariusz; Zdyb, Ryszard · Nano Lett · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Two-dimensional materials composed of elements from the 15th group of the periodic table remain largely unexplored. The primary challenge in advancing this research is the lack of large-scale layers that would facilitate extensive studies using laterally averaging techniques and enable functionalization for the fabrication of novel electronic, optoelectronic, and spintronic devices. In this report, we present a method for synthesizing large-scale antimonene layers, on the order of cm<sup>2</sup>. By employing molecular beam epitaxy, we successfully grow a monolayer film of α-phase antimonene on a W(110) surface passivated with a single-atom-thick layer of Sb atoms. The formation of α phase antimonene is confirmed through scanning tunneling microscopy and low-energy electron diffraction measurements. The isolated nature of the α-phase is further evidenced in the electronic structure, with linearly dispersed bands observed through angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and supported by ab initio calculations.