Borophene-graphene heterostructure: Preparation and ultrasensitive humidity sensing

Heterostructure has triggered a surge of interest due to its synergistic effects between two different layers, which contributes to desirable physical properties for extensive potential applications. Structurally stable borophene is becoming a promising candidate for constructing two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures, but it is rarely prepared by suitable synthesis conditions experimentally. Here, we demonstrate that a novel heterostructure composed of hydrogenated borophene and graphene can be prepared by heating the mixture of sodium borohydride and few-layered graphene followed by stepwise and in situ thermal decomposition of sodium borohydride under high-purity hydrogen as the carrier gas. The fabricated borophene-graphene heterostructure humidity sensor shows ultrahigh sensitivity, fast response, and long-time stability. The sensitivity of the fabricated borophene-based sensor is near 700 times higher than that of pristine graphene one at the relative humidity of 85% RH. The sensitivity of the sensor is highest among all the reported chemiresistive sensors based on 2D materials. Besides, the performance of the borophene-graphene flexible sensor maintains good stability after bending, which shows that the borophene-based heterostructures can be applied in wearable electronics. The observed high performance can be ascribed to the well-established charge transfer mechanism upon H2O molecule adsorption. This study further promotes the fundamental studies of interfacial effects and interactions between boron-based 2D heterostructures and chemical species.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates the successful preparation of a heterostructure composed of hydrogenated borophene and graphene with ultrahigh sensitivity and long-term stability for humidity sensing applications. The flexibility of the borophene-graphene sensor after bending shows its potential for wearable electronics. The high performance of the sensor is attributed to the well-established charge transfer mechanism upon H2O molecule adsorption.