Few-Layer Antimonene by Liquid-Phase Exfoliation

International Edition: DOI: 10.1002/anie.201605298 German Edition: DOI: 10.1002/ange.201605298
"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 55.46 (2016): 14345-14349 which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201605298. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions"
We report on a fast and simple method to produce highly stable isopropanol/water (4:1) suspensions of few-layer antimonene by liquid-phase exfoliation of antimony crystals in a process that is assisted by sonication but does not require the addition of any surfactant. This straightforward method generates dispersions of few-layer antimonene suitable for on-surface isolation. Analysis by atomic force microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy confirmed the formation of high-quality few-layer antimonene nanosheets with large lateral dimensions. These nanolayers are extremely stable under ambient conditions. Their Raman signals are strongly thickness-dependent, which was rationalized by means of density functional theory calculations