Downscaling of Non-Van der Waals Semimetallic W5N6 with Resistivity Preservation
Journal
ACS Nano
Journal Volume
19
Journal Issue
3
Start Page
3362
End Page
3371
ISSN
19360851
1936086X
Date Issued
2025
Author(s)
Gao, Hongze
Zhou, Da
Ping, Lu
Wang, Zifan
Cao, Jun
Geiwitz, Michael
Natale, Gabriel
Lin, Yuxuan Cosmi
Burch, Kenneth S.
Abstract
The bulk phase of transition metal nitrides (TMNs) has long been a subject of extensive investigation due to their utility as coating materials, electrocatalysts, and diffusion barriers, attributed to their high conductivity and refractory properties. Downscaling TMNs into two-dimensional (2D) forms would provide valuable members to the existing 2D materials repertoire, with potential enhancements across various applications. Moreover, calculations have anticipated the emergence of uncommon physical phenomena in TMNs at the 2D limit. In this study, we use the atomic substitution approach to synthesize 2D W5N6 with tunable thicknesses from tens of nanometers down to 2.9 nm. The obtained flakes exhibit high crystallinity and smooth surfaces. Electrical measurements on 15 samples show an average electrical conductivity of 161.1 S/cm, which persists while thickness decreases from 45.6 to 2.9 nm. The observed weak gate-tuning effect suggests the semimetallic nature of the synthesized 2D W5N6. Further investigation of the conversion mechanism elucidates the crucial role of chalcogen vacancies in the precursor for initiating the reaction and strain in propagating the conversion. Our work introduces a desired semimetallic crystal to the 2D material library with mechanistic insights for future design of the synthesis.
Subjects
2d Electronics
2d Semimetal
Atomic Substitution
Electrical Property
Non Van Der Waals 2d Materials
Crystalline Materials
Crystallinity
Diffusion Barriers
Diffusion Coatings
Layered Semiconductors
Metal Coatings
Refractory Materials
Silver Compounds
Single Crystals
Wide Band Gap Semiconductors
Atomic Substitutions
Non Van Der Waal Two-dimensional Material
Property
Semimetallics
Two-dimensional
Two-dimensional Electronic
Two-dimensional Materials
Two-dimensional Semimetal
Van Der Waal
Van Der Waals Forces
Chalcogen
Transition Element
Article
Conductance
Controlled Study
Diffusion
Electric Conductivity
Electric Potential
Electronics
Synthesis
Thickness
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Type
journal article