A Cu₃BHT-Graphene van der Waals Heterostructure with Strong Interlayer Coupling for Highly Efficient Photoinduced Charge Separation

Two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures (2D vdWhs) are of significant interest due to their intriguing physical properties critically defined by the constituent monolayers and their interlayer coupling. Synthetic access to 2D vdWhs based on chemically tunable monolayer organic 2D materials remains challenging. Herein, the fabrication of a novel organic–inorganic bilayer vdWh by combining π-conjugated 2D coordination polymer (2DCP, i.e., Cu₃BHT, BHT = benzenehexathiol) with graphene is reported. Monolayer Cu₃BHT with detectable µm²-scale uniformity and atomic flatness is synthesized using on-water surface chemistry. A combination of diffraction and imaging techniques enables the determination of the crystal structure of monolayer Cu₃BHT with atomic precision. Leveraging the strong interlayer coupling, Cu₃BHT-graphene vdWh exhibits highly efficient photoinduced interlayer charge separation with a net electron transfer efficiency of up to 34% from Cu₃BHT to graphene, superior to those of reported bilayer 2D vdWhs and molecular-graphene vdWhs. This study unveils the potential for developing novel 2DCP-based vdWhs with intriguing physical properties.