Table 5.
Comparison of the typical methods used for the synthesis of MMCs nanosheets
| Method | Brief description of the synthesis method | Materials | Lateral dimension | Vertical dimension | Advantages | Limitations | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical exfoliation | Scotch tape is used to peel off thin layer from bulk crystal. Gold tape, polymer matrix is used to transfer thin layer on required substrates. | GeS | Few tens of nm | 8 nm | Simplicity, high crystal quality, low defects | Low exfoliation yield, repeatability in size, reproducibility in layer number, and the large‐area uniform flake | [ 107 ] |
| GeSe | Tens of µm | 33 nm | [ 101 ] | ||||
| SnS | Several µm | 4.3 nm | [ 57 ] | ||||
| SnSe | Tens of µm | 90 nm | [ 105 ] | ||||
| Liquid phase exfoliation | Bulk crystals or powders are dispersed in a suitable solvent and are subjected to ultrasonication for a certain amount of time. Suspension is centrifuged to isolate the ultrathinlayer of nanosheets (NSs). | GeS | – | 1.3 ± 0.1 | Solution‐processed, large‐scale bulk production, high yield, low cost, simplicity | Thickness control, relatively smaller lateral dimension, proper choice of solvent | [ 143 ] |
| GeSe | 50–200 nm | 2 | [ 141 ] | ||||
| SnS | 170 nm | 1.11 nm | [ 110 ] | ||||
| SnSe | 150 nm | 2–10 nm | [ 149 ] | ||||
| Chemical vapor deposition | One of the reliable method to produce 2D material for electronics. The CVD process employs reactive precursors and high vacuum, in which the precursors react and/or decompose on the surface of the substrate at high temperature to form ultrathin flakes. | GeS | 1.5–20 µm | 10 nm | Large scale lateral size, precise controllable Thickness and lateral dimension, less defects | High temperature, ambient environment, high vacuum, Relatively complicated recopies, costly | [ 159 ] |
| GeSe | Few µm | 5 nm | [ 166 ] | ||||
| SnS | Few µm | 5.5 nm | [ 70 ] | ||||
| SnSe | 1–6 µm | 6–40 nm | [ 163 ] | ||||
| Wet chemical synthesis | Chemical method, surfactants or polymers assisted direct synthesis process | GeS | 2–4 µm | 5 nm | Solution processability, high production yield | Defects, surfactants on the surface | [ 150 ] |
| GeSe | – | 5–100 nm | [ 150 ] | ||||
| SnS | 8 µm | 7 nm | [ 182 ] | ||||
| SnSe | 300 nm | 1 nm | [ 184 ] |