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2D monoelemental group 14 materials beyond graphene, such as silicene and
germanene, have recently gained a lot of attention. Covalent functionalization
of group 14 layered materials can lead to signifcant tuning of their proper-
ties. While optical and electronic properties of germanene, silicene, and their
derivatives have been studied in detail previously, there is no information on
their electrochemistry and toxicity. Herein, electrochemical applications of 2D
siloxene, germanane, and methylgermanane, specifcally for detection of an
important biomarker, dopamine, as well as catalyzation of oxygen reduction
and hydrogen evolution reactions, which are important in energy applica-
tions, are explored. Among the three materials, germanane portrays most
superior properties for the electrochemical applications mentioned. All three
materials possess fast heterogeneous electron transfer rates, relative to bare
glassy carbon electrodes. In addition, toxicity studies of these materials are
conducted to gain insights on their possible harmful efects toward human
health. The results of this study show siloxene nontoxic while germanane and
methylgermanane impose dose-dependent toxicity. Interestingly, methylation
successfully reduce the toxicity of methylgermanane at lower concentrations.
These studies provide fundamental insights into electrochemical and toxic
properties of functionalized group 14 layered materials for future electrochem-
ical applications.
1. Introduction
The groundbreaking research on gra-
phene
[1]
has ignited intense interest in
various 2D elemental nanomaterials.
[2-9]
These materials include group 14 mono-
elemental graphene analogs known as
silicene and germanene. Similar to gra-
phene, they are 2D materials arranged
in a honeycomb structure.
[10]
However,
they have buckled sheets unlike graphene
which is planar.
[11,12]
They exhibit similar
promising electronic properties to gra-
phene including low efective masses and
high carrier mobilities but have a simi-
larly negligible bandgap, which restricts
their applications in electronics.
[13]
In
addition, silicene and germanene are
mainly synthesized on substrates due
to lack of thermodynamic stability.
[2,14]
Hence, various modifcations of silicene
and germanene have been carried out to
improve their stability and increase their
bandgaps. Several modifed silicene and
germanene analogs were reported, e.g.,
N. F. Rosli, N. Rohaizad, Prof. R. D. Webster
Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry
School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Nanyang Technological University
21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
N. Rohaizad
NTU Institute for Health Technologies
Interdisciplinary Graduate School
Nanyang Technological University
61 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637335, Singapore
Dr. J. Sturala
Department of Inorganic Chemistry
University of Chemistry and Technology Prague
Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic
Prof. A. C. Fisher
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
University of Cambridge
New Museums Site
Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3RA, UK
FULL PAPER
Siloxene, Germanane, and Methylgermanane:
Functionalized 2D Materials of Group 14
for Electrochemical Applications
Nur Farhanah Rosli, Nasuha Rohaizad, Jiri Sturala, Adrian C. Fisher,
Richard D. Webster, and Martin Pumera*
DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201910186
The ORCID identifcation number(s) for the author(s) of this article
can be found under https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201910186.
Prof. M. Pumera
Center for Advanced Functional Nanorobots
Department of Inorganic Chemistry
University of Chemistry and Technology Prague
Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic
E-mail: martin.pumera@ceitec.vutbr.cz, pumera.research@gmail.com
Prof. M. Pumera
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Yonsei University
50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, South Korea
Prof. M. Pumera
Department of Medical Research
China Medical University Hospital
China Medical University
No. 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
Prof. M. Pumera
Future Energy and Innovation Laboratory
Central European Institute of Technology
Brno University of Technology
Purkyňova 656/123, Brno CZ-616 00, Czech Republic
Adv. Funct. Mater. 2020, 1910186