Formation of Ultimate Thin 2D Crystal of Pt in the Presence of Hexamethylenetetramine

Abstract

Platinum naturally crystalizes into a three-dimensional crystal due to its highly symmetrical fcc lattice, with a metallic bond which is non-directional and highly isotropic. This inherently means ultimately that 2D crystals of a few atoms thick growth are hardly available in this material. Here, we discovered that a combinative effect of formic acid reductant and hexamethylenetetramine surfactant during the reduction of their metal ions precursor can realize an ultimate thin 2D crystal growth in platinum. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and filed-emission electron microscopy analysis have also discovered that the 2D crystal of Pt has 111 facets with a lateral dimension that can be up to more than 5 μm × 2 μm. The thickness of the 2D crystal of Pt is 1.55 nm. A mechanism for obtaining ultimate thin 2D crystal of Pt using the present approach is proposed.