Graphene's success has shown not only that it is possible to create stable, single-atom-thick sheets from a crystalline solid, but that these materials have fundamentally different properties than the parent material. The group IV semiconductors are the most significant materials of our era. Here we will describe our recent results on the synthesis, structure, and properties of single atom thick Group IV graphane analogues.  We have synthesized for the first time, millimeter-scale crystals of a hydrogen-terminated germanium from the topochemical deintercalation of CaGe2. These sheets can be mechanically exfoliated as single and few layers onto SiO2/Si surfaces and feature direct band gaps at 1.5 eV and theoretical electron mobilities almost five times higher than that of bulk Ge.    Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the band gap can be rationally tuned with covalent surface termination. These covalently modifiable single atom thick materials exhibit great potential for a wide range of optoelectronic energy applications.

Group IV semiconductors at the atomic scale

247th National Meeting (2014)

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