High throughput investigation of an emergent and naturally abundant 2D material : clinochlore.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
Phyllosilicate minerals, which form a class of naturally occurring layered materials (LMs), have been recently
considered as a low-cost source of two-dimensional (2D) materials. Clinochlore [Mg5Al(AlSi3)O10(OH)8] is one of
the most abundant phyllosilicate minerals in nature, exhibiting the capability to be mechanically exfoliated down
to a few layers. An important characteristic of clinochlore is the natural occurrence of defects and impurities
which can strongly affect their optoelectronic properties, possibly in technologically interesting ways. In the
present work, we carry out a thorough investigation of the clinochlore structure on both bulk and 2D exfoliated
forms, discussing its optical features and the influence of the insertion of impurities on its macroscopic prop-
erties. Several experimental techniques are employed, followed by theoretical first-principles calculations
considering several types of naturally-ocurring transition metal impurities in the mineral lattice and their effect
on electronic and optical properties. We demonstrate the existence of requirements concerning surface quality
and insulating properties of clinochlore that are mandatory for its suitable application in nanoelectronic devices.
The results presented in this work provide important informations for clinochlore potential applications and
establish a basis for further works that intend to optimize its properties to relevant 2D technological applications
through defect engineering.
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Keywords
Layered materials, Phyllosilicate, 2D applications
Citation
GONÇALVES, R. de O. et al. High throughput investigation of an emergent and naturally abundant 2D material: clinochlore. Applied Surface Science, v. 599, artigo 153959, 2022. Disponível em: <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169433222015021>. Acesso em: 06 jul. 2023.