A metastable pentagonal 2D material synthesized by symmetry-driven epitaxy

TY - JOUR

T1 - A metastable pentagonal 2D material synthesized by symmetry-driven epitaxy

AU - Liu, Lina

AU - Ji, Yujin

AU - Bianchi, Marco

AU - Hus, Saban M.

AU - Li, Zheshen

AU - Balog, Richard

AU - Miwa, Jill A.

AU - Hofmann, Philip

AU - Li, An Ping

AU - Zemlyanov, Dmitry Y.

AU - Li, Youyong

AU - Chen, Yong P.

PY - 2024/10

Y1 - 2024/10

N2 - Most two-dimensional (2D) materials experimentally studied so far have hexagons as their building blocks. Only a few exceptions, such as PdSe2, are lower in energy in pentagonal phases and exhibit pentagons as building blocks. Although theory has predicted a large number of pentagonal 2D materials, many of these are metastable and their experimental realization is difficult. Here we report the successful synthesis of a metastable pentagonal 2D material, monolayer pentagonal PdTe2, by symmetry-driven epitaxy. Scanning tunnelling microscopy and complementary spectroscopy measurements are used to characterize this material, which demonstrates well-ordered low-symmetry atomic arrangements and is stabilized by lattice matching with the underlying Pd(100) substrate. Theoretical calculations, along with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, reveal monolayer pentagonal PdTe2 to be a semiconductor with an indirect bandgap of 1.05 eV. Our work opens an avenue for the synthesis of pentagon-based 2D materials and gives opportunities to explore their applications such as multifunctional nanoelectronics.

AB - Most two-dimensional (2D) materials experimentally studied so far have hexagons as their building blocks. Only a few exceptions, such as PdSe2, are lower in energy in pentagonal phases and exhibit pentagons as building blocks. Although theory has predicted a large number of pentagonal 2D materials, many of these are metastable and their experimental realization is difficult. Here we report the successful synthesis of a metastable pentagonal 2D material, monolayer pentagonal PdTe2, by symmetry-driven epitaxy. Scanning tunnelling microscopy and complementary spectroscopy measurements are used to characterize this material, which demonstrates well-ordered low-symmetry atomic arrangements and is stabilized by lattice matching with the underlying Pd(100) substrate. Theoretical calculations, along with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, reveal monolayer pentagonal PdTe2 to be a semiconductor with an indirect bandgap of 1.05 eV. Our work opens an avenue for the synthesis of pentagon-based 2D materials and gives opportunities to explore their applications such as multifunctional nanoelectronics.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85202212544&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41563-024-01987-w

DO - 10.1038/s41563-024-01987-w

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 39191980

AN - SCOPUS:85202212544

SN - 1476-1122

VL - 23

SP - 1339

EP - 1346

JO - Nature Materials

JF - Nature Materials

IS - 10

ER -