Synthesis and Atomic Scale Investigation of Borophene on Au(111)

Abstract

Boron has the ability to form low dimensional allotropes like carbon. So the existence of a two dimensional material consisting of only boron atoms (borophene) was predicted. Recently borophene was synthesized on Ag(111) in two parallel experiments. This project is the study of boron nanostructure on Au(111) substrate. Atomic scale investigation of boron nanostructures on Au(111) was carried out using ultra high vacuum-low temperature STM at 77 K. Boron nanostructures showed different morphologies with change in boron flux, exposure time and substrate temperature during deposition. Boron deposition became more planar with reduction in exposure time and increase in substrate temperature