Using mechanical exfoliation combined with a controlled double step transfer procedure we demonstrate that single layers of antimony can be readily produced. These flakes are not significantly contaminated upon exposure to ambient conditions and they do not react with water. DFT calculations confirm our experimental observations and predict a band gap of 1.2-1.3 eV (ambient conditions) for single layer antimonene, which is smaller than that calculated under vacuum conditions at 0 K. Our work confirms antimonene as a highly stable 2D material with promising relevant applications in optoelectronics.
@article{arxiv.1608.06859,
title = {Mechanical Isolation of Highly Stable Antimonene under Ambient Conditions},
author = {Pablo Ares and Fernando Aguilar-Galindo and David Rodríguez-San-Miguel and Diego A. Aldave and Sergio Díaz-Tendero and Manuel Alcamí and Fernando Martín and Julio Gómez-Herrero and Félix Zamora},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1608.06859},
year = {2016}
}