Abstract
One can find conductive, semiconducting, and insulating single nanosheets with unique electronic properties that are tied to their two-dimensional (2D) structure. Here, we report on wide-bandgap 2D insulator nanosheets obtained by delamination of a synthetic 2D fluorohectorite clay mineral showing one of the largest bandgap insulators in the world. The bandgap was determined experimentally to be up to 7.1–8.2 eV measured by electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The experimental data were supported by DFT calculations giving a bandgap of 5.5 eV. The single fluorohectorite clay crystalline nanosheets are 0.95-nm, and they can be synthetized with high-aspect ratios and lateral dimensions up to dozens of microns. These properties render these nanosheets promising candidates for practical applications in manually assembled or self-assembled electronic heterostructures, potentially serving as insulating nanosheets in graphene or various (semi)conductive 2D material-based devices.Impact statementProperties of the synthetic fluorohectorite clay presented in this article render these 0.95-nm-thin nanosheets promising candidates for practical applications in manually assembled or self-assembled electronic heterostructures, potentially serving as insulating nanosheets in graphene or various (semi)conductive 2D material-based devices.The information provided in this work can be essential for the growing community focused on the study of 2D materials and their wide range of applications.Graphical abstract
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.