Preparation of high-quality few-layers bismuthene hexagons

Abstract

Many different two-dimensional (2D) materials have been reported and studied so-far showing outstanding physico-chemical properties that are expected to create many applications in various technological fields. However, the fabrication of many (opto)electronic devices and other components for different applications requires the availability of the material in large quantities. This work reports on a two-step procedure under mild conditions, preparing high-quality few-layer bismuthene (FLB) hexagons in good yield. The FLB hexagons so-formed show ultra-large lateral dimensions, over microns (ca. 2.75 to 4.5 µm), areas up to 30 µm2, while a few nanometers thick (5–20 nm). The chemical post-treatment of these nanolayers with chloroform produces bismuthene surfaces with very low oxidation that can be easily contacted with microelectrodes. FLB hexagons show high conductivity and excellent electrical properties, enabling them to fabricate an adenine dinucleotide (NADH) sensor where FLB hexagons act as electrocatalytic platforms with high capacity for improving the charge transfer process. The resulting sensor revealed high analytical performance in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility.