Synthesis of metalloborophene nanoribbons on Cu(110)

Abstract

Metalloborophene, characterized by the presence of metal-centered boron wheels denoted as M\c{opyright}Bn, has garnered considerable attention in recent years due to its versatile properties and potential applications in fields such as electronics, spintronics, and catalysis. However, the experimental verification of metalloborophene has been challenging, mainly due to the unconventional two-dimensional (2D) boron networks. In this study, we employ scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, and first-principles calculations to unveil Cu\c{opyright}B8 metalloborophene nanoribbons formed via spontaneous alloying after the deposition of boron on a heated Cu(110) substrate under ultrahigh vacuum condition. The thermodynamically preferred precursor, the anchoring of boron network to metal atoms, and anisotropic lattice mismatch are identified as pivotal factors in the formation of these metalloborophene nanoribbons. This discovery expands the repertoire of 2D materials and offers a potential pathway for the synthesis of other metalloborophenes.

arXiv comment4 figures

References in corpus (7)

• VASPKIT: A User-friendly Interface Facilitating High-throughput Computing and Analysis Using VASP Code
• Implicit solvation model for density-functional study of nanocrystal surfaces and reaction pathways
• Experimental Realization of Two-Dimensional Boron Sheets
• Two-dimensional materials from high-throughput computational exfoliation of experimentally known compounds
• Novel Precursors for Boron Nanotubes: The Competition of Two-Center and Three-Center Bonding in Boron Sheets
• Formation of copper boride on Cu(111)
• Twelve Inequivalent Dirac Cones in Two-Dimensional ZrB2