More "against the sky" than graphene, scientists have created a double-layer boronene material for the first time

Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, August 26 (intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin) According to the latest research published in the journal Nature Materials on the 26th, Northwestern University engineers created for the first time a two-layer atomic-thick borene, breaking the boron The natural tendency to form non-planar clusters outside the limit of a single atomic layer
.

Borene is a single-atom-thick boron sheet, a two-dimensional material with a single-atom-thick layer composed of boron atoms.
It is stronger, lighter, and more flexible than graphene.
It is highly expected by the scientific community and will become the next graphite.
After ene, another "magic nanomaterial" is expected to bring revolutionary changes to batteries, electronics, sensors, solar cells and quantum computing
.

However, the synthesis of monoatomic layer borene is challenging
.

Graphene can be peeled from the inherent layered graphite using something as simple as scotch tape, while boron can not be peeled from bulk boron alone.

Five years ago, scientists from the same research team created borene with a thickness of only one atom for the first time
.

Theoretical research predicts that it is possible to prepare double-layer borenes, but the co-senior author of this research and Northwestern University’s Mark Hessam said: “Theories rarely tell you the comprehensive conditions required to achieve this new structure

If it is difficult to grow a single layer of borene, it seems impossible to grow a layer of borene with a planar structure of atoms
.

Since bulk boron is not layered like graphite, growth beyond a single atomic layer will result in the formation of clusters instead of planar structures

The research team found that the key to the correct conditions is the substrate used to grow boronene
.

In this study, the researchers cultivated borene on a flat silver substrate

When borene was "planted" on these huge and flat "terraces", the researchers saw the formation of a second layer
.

This double-layer material not only maintains all the ideal electronic properties of borene, but also has new advantages

"There are theoretical predictions that double-layer
borene is a promising battery material .

" Hessam said, "The space between the layers provides a place for lithium ions

The research team hopes to continue to grow thicker borenes or create double-layer borenes with different atomic geometries
.

Editor-in-chief

Editor-in-chief

In 2004, the "king of new materials" graphene came out and swept the science and engineering circles.
Since then, people have continued to try to design new two-dimensional materials, but at present, only boronene has the same pure planar structure as graphene
.

In further exploration, borene exhibits excellent performance that combines hardness, flexibility and toughness.