Metal Substrates Shape Two-Dimensional Boron MonolayersNew calculations from theoretical physicists
Metal Substrates Shape Two-Dimensional Boron Monolayers
New calculations from theoretical physicists at Rice University show it may be possible to guide the formation of 2-D boron by tailoring boron-metal interactions.
Rice University scientists have theoretically determined that the properties of atom-thick sheets of boron depend on where those atoms land.
Calculation of the atom-by-atom energies involved in creating a sheet of boron revealed that the metal substrate – the surface upon which two-dimensional materials are grown in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace – would make all the difference.
Theoretical physicist Boris Yakobson and his Rice colleagues found in previous work that CVD is probably the best way to make highly conductive 2-D boron and that gold or silver might be the best substrates.
But their new calculations show it may be possible to guide the formation of 2-D boron by tailoring boron-metal interactions. They discovered that copper, a common substrate in graphene growth, might be best to obtain flat boron, while other metals would guide the resulting material in their unique ways.
