Huang Xiaochun, Xiong Rui, Hao Chunxue, Li Wenbin, Sa Baisheng, Wiebe Jens, Wiesendanger Roland
Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, D-20355, Hamburg, Germany.
Multiscale Computational Materials Facility & Materials Genome Institute, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China.
Adv Mater. 2024 Feb;36(6):e2309023. doi: 10.1002/adma.202309023. Epub 2023 Dec 4.
2D materials emerge as a versatile platform for developing next-generation devices. The experimental realization of novel artificial 2D atomic crystals, which does not have bulk counterparts in nature, is still challenging and always requires new physical or chemical processes. Monolayer α-tellurene is predicted to be a stable 2D allotrope of tellurium (Te), which has great potential for applications in high-performance field-effect transistors. However, the synthesis of monolayer α-tellurene remains elusive because of its complex lattice configuration, in which the Te atoms are stacked in tri-layers in an octahedral fashion. Here, a self-assemble approach, using three atom-long Te chains derived from the dynamic non-equilibrium growth of an a-Si:Te alloy as building blocks, is reported for the epitaxial growth of monolayer α-tellurene on a Sb Te substrate. By combining scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy with density functional theory calculations, the surface morphology and electronic structure of monolayer α-tellurene are revealed and the underlying growth mechanism is determined. The successful synthesis of monolayer α-tellurene opens up the possibility for the application of this new single-element 2D material in advanced electronic devices.
二维材料成为开发下一代器件的通用平台。新型人工二维原子晶体的实验实现，这种晶体在自然界中没有块状对应物，仍然具有挑战性，并且总是需要新的物理或化学过程。单层α-碲烯预计是碲（Te）的一种稳定二维同素异形体，在高性能场效应晶体管中具有巨大应用潜力。然而，由于其复杂的晶格结构，其中Te原子以八面体方式三层堆叠，单层α-碲烯的合成仍然难以实现。在此，报道了一种自组装方法，使用源自非晶硅碲合金动态非平衡生长的三个原子长的Te链作为构建单元，用于在Sb Te衬底上外延生长单层α-碲烯。通过将扫描隧道显微镜/光谱与密度泛函理论计算相结合，揭示了单层α-碲烯的表面形貌和电子结构，并确定了其潜在的生长机制。单层α-碲烯的成功合成开启了这种新型单元素二维材料在先进电子器件中应用的可能性。
