Chemical potential imbalance mediated CVD growth of atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride fractal patterns

Fractal patterns produced in non-equilibrium processes are ubiquitous in nature, but the mechanisms behind them are not fully understood. Here, we successfully fabricated nitrogen-rich edge monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) fractal flakes using the relatively high N precursor flux through chemical vapor deposition. Fractal dimension analysis was introduced to characterize the boundary roughness of fractal flake, the fractal dimension calculated by the box-counting method is 1.92, suggesting that the h-BN fractal flake possesses a rough boundary. Moreover, a possible morphogenesis mechanism was proposed based on the crystal growth principle, elucidating the role of severe chemical potential imbalance in the formation of fractal flakes.

Automated summary

Fractal patterns produced in non-equilibrium processes are commonly found in nature, but their formation mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, nitrogen-rich edge monolayer hexagonal boron nitride fractal flakes were successfully fabricated, and fractal dimension analysis was used to characterize their boundary roughness. A possible morphogenesis mechanism based on the principle of crystal growth was proposed, highlighting the role of severe chemical potential imbalance in the formation of fractal flakes.