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Boron-induced transformation of ultrathin Au films into two-dimensional metallic nanostructures

Preobrajenski, Alexei LU ; Vinogradov, Nikolay LU orcid ; Duncan, David A. ; Lee, Tien Lin ; Tsitsvero, Mikhail ; Taketsugu, Tetsuya and Lyalin, Andrey (2024) In Nature Communications 15(1).
Abstract

The synthesis of large, freestanding, single-atom-thick two-dimensional (2D) metallic materials remains challenging due to the isotropic nature of metallic bonding. Here, we present a bottom-up approach for fabricating macroscopically large, nearly freestanding 2D gold (Au) monolayers, consisting of nanostructured patches. By forming Au monolayers on an Ir(111) substrate and embedding boron (B) atoms at the Au/Ir interface, we achieve suspended monoatomic Au sheets with hexagonal structures and triangular nanoscale patterns. Alternative patterns of periodic nanodots are observed in Au bilayers on the B/Ir(111) substrate. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray spectroscopies, and theoretical calculations, we reveal the role of buried... (More)

The synthesis of large, freestanding, single-atom-thick two-dimensional (2D) metallic materials remains challenging due to the isotropic nature of metallic bonding. Here, we present a bottom-up approach for fabricating macroscopically large, nearly freestanding 2D gold (Au) monolayers, consisting of nanostructured patches. By forming Au monolayers on an Ir(111) substrate and embedding boron (B) atoms at the Au/Ir interface, we achieve suspended monoatomic Au sheets with hexagonal structures and triangular nanoscale patterns. Alternative patterns of periodic nanodots are observed in Au bilayers on the B/Ir(111) substrate. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray spectroscopies, and theoretical calculations, we reveal the role of buried B species in forming the nanostructured Au layers. Changes in the Au monolayer’s band structure upon substrate decoupling indicate a transition from 3D to 2D metal bonding. The resulting Au films exhibit remarkable thermal stability, making them practical for studying the catalytic activity of 2D gold.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nature Communications
volume
15
issue
1
article number
10518
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85211455547
  • pmid:39658568
ISSN
2041-1723
DOI
10.1038/s41467-024-54464-y
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
80cef84d-2c3e-468d-8386-6101b345177b
date added to LUP
2025-01-20 15:29:55
date last changed
2025-01-20 15:29:55
@article{80cef84d-2c3e-468d-8386-6101b345177b,
  abstract     = {{<p>The synthesis of large, freestanding, single-atom-thick two-dimensional (2D) metallic materials remains challenging due to the isotropic nature of metallic bonding. Here, we present a bottom-up approach for fabricating macroscopically large, nearly freestanding 2D gold (Au) monolayers, consisting of nanostructured patches. By forming Au monolayers on an Ir(111) substrate and embedding boron (B) atoms at the Au/Ir interface, we achieve suspended monoatomic Au sheets with hexagonal structures and triangular nanoscale patterns. Alternative patterns of periodic nanodots are observed in Au bilayers on the B/Ir(111) substrate. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray spectroscopies, and theoretical calculations, we reveal the role of buried B species in forming the nanostructured Au layers. Changes in the Au monolayer’s band structure upon substrate decoupling indicate a transition from 3D to 2D metal bonding. The resulting Au films exhibit remarkable thermal stability, making them practical for studying the catalytic activity of 2D gold.</p>}},
  author       = {{Preobrajenski, Alexei and Vinogradov, Nikolay and Duncan, David A. and Lee, Tien Lin and Tsitsvero, Mikhail and Taketsugu, Tetsuya and Lyalin, Andrey}},
  issn         = {{2041-1723}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Communications}},
  title        = {{Boron-induced transformation of ultrathin Au films into two-dimensional metallic nanostructures}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54464-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41467-024-54464-y}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}