Accelerated Synthesis of Borophane (HB) Sheets through HCl-Assisted Ion-Exchange Reaction with YCrB4

Abstract

We present an enhanced method for synthesizing sheets of borophane. Despite the challenges associated with low efficiency, we discovered that incorporating hydrochloric acid into the ion-exchange reaction significantly improved the production yield from 20% to over 50%. After a thorough examination of the reaction, we gained insight into the underlying mechanisms and found that the use of hydrochloric acid provides two key benefits: accelerated production of borophene and isolation of high-purity products. This method has the potential to pave the way for the production of novel topological 2D materials with potential industrial applications.