Towards Antimonene and 2D Antimony Telluride through Electrochemical Exfoliation

Two-dimensional (2D) layered antimony (Sb) and antimony telluride (Sb₂Te₃) are two valuable materials for optoelectronic devices and thermoelectric applications. Preparing high-quality sheets of these materials is the initial phase to promote their expected issues. Herein, micrometer-sized few-to-multilayered sheets of Sb and Sb₂Te₃ have been obtained by electrochemical exfoliation. The layered rhombohedral Sb was exfoliated in Na₂SO₄ and Li₂SO₄ electrolytes by anodic–cationic intercalation, and Sb₂Te₃ was exfoliated in Na₂SO₄. These findings are important contributions for the solution-based room-temperature electrochemical exfoliation, which is stable under glove-box-free conditions, to further improve the production of high-quality exfoliated sheets.