Experimental Demonstration of an Electride as a 2D Material

TL;DR

This paper reports the successful exfoliation of the layered electride Ca₂N into stable 2D nanosheets, demonstrating their potential as nano-electrides with preserved electronic properties and structural integrity.

Contribution

First experimental demonstration of a 2D electride material, Ca₂N, with stable nanosheets retaining electronic and structural properties.

Findings

Ca₂N can be exfoliated into stable 2D nanosheets.

The 2D flakes retain the crystal structure and stoichiometry of the bulk material.

The 2D electride exhibits metallic behavior and matches DFT predictions.

Abstract

Because of their loosely bound electrons, electrides offer physical properties useful in chemical synthesis and electronics. For these applications and others, nano-sized electrides offer advantages, but to-date no electride has been synthesized as a nanomaterial. We demonstrate experimentally that Ca$_2$N, a layered electride in which layers of atoms are separated by layers of a 2D electron gas (2DEG), can be exfoliated into two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets using liquid exfoliation. The 2D flakes are stable in a nitrogen atmosphere or in select organic solvents for at least one month. Electron microscopy and elemental analysis reveal that the 2D flakes retain the crystal structure and stoichiometry of the parent 3D Ca$_2$N. In addition, the 2D flakes exhibit metallic character and an optical response that agrees with DFT calculations. Together these findings suggest that the 2DEG is preserved in the 2D material. With this work, we bring electrides into the nano-regime and experimentally demonstrate a 2D electride, Ca$_2$N.