2019/05/10 by Junji Yuhara, Bangjie He, N. Matsunami +2 · 4 citations
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Graphene research and applications #Topological Materials and Phenomena #Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides
paper · doi:10.1002/adma.201901017
openalex publication_date 2019/05/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/21
Abstract While theoretical studies predicted the stability and exotic properties of plumbene, the last group‐14 cousin of graphene, its realization has remained a challenging quest. Here, it is shown with compelling evidence that plumbene is epitaxially grown by segregation on a Pd 1− x Pb x (111) alloy surface. In scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), it exhibits a unique surface morphology resembling the famous Weaire–Phelan bubble structure of the Olympic “WaterCube” in Beijing. The “soap bubbles” of this “Nano WaterCube” are adjustable with their average sizes (in‐between 15 and 80 nm) related to the Pb concentration ( x < 0.2) dependence of the lattice parameter of the Pd 1− x Pb x (111) alloy surface. Angle‐resolved core‐level measurements demonstrate that a lead sheet overlays the Pd 1− x Pb x (111) alloy. Atomic‐scale STM images of this Pb sheet show a planar honeycomb structure with a unit cell ranging from 0.48 to 0.49 nm corresponding to that of the standalone 2D topological insulator plumbene.