Nanoribbons of 2D materials: A review on emerging trends, recent developments and future perspectives

The exclusive characteristic properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials have enticed most of the researchers and scientific community to employ a plethora of pioneering stratagems in order to puzzle out modern-day problems. Some of the possibilities are currently are at theoretical phases, while some of them are well-explored experimentally. Nanoribbon-like structures of the 2D materials are ancillary entrants for 2D nanosheets with tunable and enhanced properties. Protuberant properties like abundant and highly exposed active sites on the edges facilitated electron transfer, and superior charge mobility, etc. make them poles apart from their bulk counterparts. Nowadays, these nanoribbon-like structures are contributing to countless applications such as solar cells, photodetectors, sensing, field emission, energy storage, and catalysis. Accordingly, we have put an overview of recent advancements in the properties, preparations, and applications of nanoribbon-like structures based on 2D materials. The contemporary review thoroughly recapitulates the numerous properties of nanoribbon-like materials including crystal structure, bandgap, optical, electrical, magnetic, and catalytic properties. Moreover, the review also addresses the tuning approaches used to optimize the properties of nanoribbon materials. The most recent synthesis approaches used for the preparation of nanoribbon-like structures are also highlighted along with their exceptional implementation in various intriguing applications. Furthermore, this comprehensive review put the finishing touches on a discussion of the present-day outlook and some of the crucial scientific challenges which have to be addressed to improve the performances of nanoribbons of 2D materials-based devices.