Vortex mediated fabrication of 2D antimonene sheets from antimony powder

Antimony powder is transformed into 2D antimonene in a vortex fluidic device (VFD) at ambient conditions, depending on the choice of solvent (optimised as a 1 : 1 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and dimethylformamide) and the operating parameters of the microfluidic platform which houses a rapidly rotating quartz tube inclined at +45°. It is hypothesised that the Coriolis force from the hemispherical base of the tube, as typhoon like high-shear topological fluid flow down to submicron dimensions, generates localised heating at the quartz interface. This melts the antimony powder (m.p. 630.6 °C) in situ which crystallizes in the β-phase, with semi-conducting antimonene a few layers thick, and demonstrating novel photoluminescence. Semiconducting 2D antimony a few layers thick with novel photoluminescence is prepared in a vortex fluidic device, directly from antimony power at room temperature, as a green and scalable process.