Oleylamine-mediated solvothermal synthesis of antimonene nanosheets

Abstract

Antimonene, as an emerging 2D pnictogen-based material, has attracted significant attention due to its theoretically predicted outstanding electronic performance. However, its synthesis remains challenging due to strong interlayer van der Waals interactions, regardless of whether top-down or bottom-up approaches are employed. Conventional liquid-phase synthesis can produce high-quality antimonene nanosheets, but it typically requires toxic thiols or residual-prone alkyl phosphonic acids as templating agents, which inevitably introduce environmental concerns and complex purification requirements. Here, we successfully synthesized antimonene nanosheets using oleylamine as a substitute for thiols and alkyl phosphonic acids, achieving a simplified and environmentally friendly preparation process. The as-prepared antimonene nanosheets exhibit a distinct photoresponse. Our study reveals that this phenomenon originates from surface adsorbates, which undergo reversible photo-induced adsorption and desorption under irradiation. This process effectively modulates the charge carrier concentration, ultimately leading to the observed broadband photoresponse.