Faster and Safer "In situ" Synthesis of Germanane and Silicane

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Solid State Chemistry

Background:

• 2D Xanes materials, including germanane (GeH) and silicane (SiH), are crucial for advanced electronics, optoelectronics, energy storage, and sensing.
• Conventional synthesis methods for Xanes often involve hazardous concentrated acids (HCl, HF) with slow reaction rates and safety concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, safer, and faster synthesis protocol for 2D Xanes materials.
• To overcome the limitations of traditional synthesis routes using concentrated acids.

Main Methods:

• A new method generating hydrofluoric acid (HF) *in situ* from hydrochloric acid (HCl) and lithium fluoride (LiF) salt was employed.
• Characterization techniques were used to analyze the synthesized Xanes and validate the method's efficacy.

Main Results:

• High-quality germanane (GeH) and silicane (SiH) were synthesized with bandgaps of 1.75 eV and 2.47 eV, respectively.
• The *in situ* HF generation method proved faster and safer than conventional approaches.
• The study established a baseline for Xanes characterization and explored the method's applicability to other layered Zintl phases.

Conclusions:

• The developed *in situ* synthesis method offers a significant advancement for producing 2D Xanes materials.
• The synthesized GeH and SiH exhibit promising electronic properties, suitable for semiconductor applications.
• This versatile protocol could be extended to synthesize other related 2D materials.