Experimental synthesis of borophene

Abstract

As the lightest two-dimensional material discovered so far, borophene exhibits rich physical properties, including high flexibility, optical transparency, high thermal conductivity, one-dimensional nearly free electron gas, Dirac fermions, and superconductivity. However, due to the strong interlayer covalent bonding force of bulk boron, it is difficult to obtain the monolayer borophene via mechanical exfoliation. In addition, due to the electron-deficient property of boron atoms, its chemical properties are relatively active, and its bonding is complex, resulting in different boron allotropes, which is different from other two-dimensional materials. For a long time, the research on borophene has been limited to theoretical exploration, and it has been difficult to make breakthroughs in the experimental synthesis of two-dimensional borophene. It has been only successfully prepared by a few research groups in recent years. However, there is still huge space for exploration on the growth, structure and electronic properties of borophene. This paper systematically reviews the preparation methods and different structures of borophene under different substrates, and its growth mechanism is discussed. It provides a research platform for further expanding the physical properties of borophene, and provides ideas for exploring the preparation of borophene nanodevices. It has great potential application prospects in high energy storage, optoelectronic devices, high detection sensitivity, and flexible nanodevices.