Dispersion behavior of two dimensional monochalcogenides

TL;DR

This study investigates the dispersion and exfoliation of GeS and SnS nanosheets in various solvents, revealing their stability and potential for scalable electronic applications.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the dispersion behavior of IVA-VI monochalcogenides, specifically GeS and SnS, in organic solvents, which was previously unexplored.

Findings

Achieved significant yields of GeS and SnS nanosheets in specific solvents.

Produced stable colloids suitable for printed electronic devices.

Nanosheets are few-layers with lateral sizes over hundreds of nanometers.

Abstract

Solution processable two-dimensional (2D) materials have provided an ideal platform for both fundamental studies and wearable electronic applications. Apart from graphene and 2D dichalcogenides, IVA-VI monochalcogenides (MMCs) has emerged recently as a promising candidate for next generation electronic applications. However, the dispersion behavior, which is crucial for the quality, solubility and stability of MMCs, has been quite unexplored. Here, the exfoliation and the dispersion behavior of Germanium (II) monosulfide (GeS) and Tin (II) monosulfide (SnS) nanosheets has been investigated in a wide range of organic solvents. Nine different organic solvents were examined and analyzed, considering the solvent polarity, surface tension, and Hansen solubility parameters. A significant yield of isolated GeS and SnS flakes, namely ~16.4 and ~23.08 {\mu}g/ml in 2-propanol and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone respectively were attained. The isolated flakes are few-layers nanosheets with lateral sizes over a few hundreds of nanometers. The MMCs colloids exhibit long-term stability, suggesting the MMCs applicability for scalable solution processable printed electronic device applications.