Atomically thin diamond, also called diamane, is a
two-dimensional carbon allotrope and has attracted considerable
scientific interest due to its potential physical properties.
However, previous studies suggest that atomically thin diamond
films are not achievable in a pristine state because diamonds
possess a three-dimensional crystalline structure and would lack
chemical stability when thinned down to the thickness of diamond’s
unit cell due to the dangling sp3 bonds. Chemical functionalization
of the surface carbons with specific chemical groups was considered
necessary to stabilize the two-dimensional structure, such as
surface hydrogenation or fluorination, and various substrates have
also been used in these synthesizing attempts. But all of these
attempts change the composition of diamond films, that is to say,
the successful synthesis of a pristine diamane has up until now not
been achieved.
A new two-dimensional carbon allotrope: Semiconducting
diamane film synthesized
