Two-dimensional Dirac half-metallic Cr2C sheets with a clean surface and high stability
摘要
Two-dimensional (2D) chromium carbide (Cr2C) has attracted attention due to its predicted spin-dependent electronic structure and topological properties. Despite the successful synthesis of numerous MXenes, a family of 2D transition-metal carbides and nitrides, experimental isolation of 2D Cr2C sheets has remained elusive. Here we demonstrate that Cr2C sheets can be obtained from Cr2AlC by selectively extracting the Al layer using aqueous phosphoric acid followed by liquid-phase delamination. The weak phosphoric acid suppresses rapid dissolution of both Al and Cr while enabling preferential extraction of Al through selective coordination with dissolved Al3+ species into soluble complexes. Unlike previously reported MXenes that typically possess surface-passivating terminations, this approach yields 2D Cr2C with largely clean, unpassivated surfaces, which remain stable even after prolonged exposure to air, water or heat. Monolayer Cr2C is characterized by unusual Dirac half-semimetal property, featuring a 2.0-eV band gap in the spin-down channel and Dirac semimetal cone in the spin-up channel. Notably, this Dirac semimetal feature is retained in few layers. Benefiting from its chemically robust clean surface and high Fermi velocity, 2D Cr2C exhibits electrical conductivity surpassing titanium carbide.