Rapid deposition of two-dimensional antimonene films by thermal evaporation

Abstract

Two-dimensional antimonene (Sb) has attracted attention due to its recently demonstrated favorable physical properties. However, the preparation of high-quality thin films of few-layer antimony alkenes has been rarely reported, greatly hindering the study of 2D antimony properties and application development. Herein, a method for rapid deposition of 2D Sb films by thermal evaporation is presented, and the deposition of the films can be accomplished in only 60 s. The method is based on thermal evaporation of 2D antimony films at 590 °C. Compared to growth on SiO₂/Si substrates, Sb is orderly spliced into films with thicknesses as low as ∼2 nm on 2D Sb substrates. Raman spectroscopy confirms the composition of the Sb films rapidly deposited on WS₂ by thermal evaporation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements probed the process of Sb from nucleation to splicing into thin films by rapid thermal evaporation. This thermal evaporation rapid deposition process provides a new idea for the industrial preparation of two-dimensional heterojunction films.