Highly concentrated dispersion of methyl-terminated germanane by liquid exfoliation

Abstract We have found that methyl-terminated layered germanane (GeCH 3 ) is well dispersed in halogenated solvents by liquid exfoliation, which stands stably for more than half a year. GeCH 3 dispersions and their cast films were characterized using electron microscopy and optical spectroscopies, which revealed the exfoliation of GeCH 3 into a few tens of layers with lateral dimensions of a few hundred nanometers and a thickness of a few tens of nanometers. The resulting dispersion of GeCH 3 by liquid exfoliation opens up a potential route to fabricate thin-film devices by a solution process.