Recent advances and future perspectives of bismuthene: From preparation to applications

Bismuthene, an emerging two-dimensional monoelemental material as a good candidate of the room-temperature topological insulator, has attracted considerable attention due to its layer-dependent narrow band gap, high carrier mobility, high stability, tunable electronic and optical properties, and easy transferability. Here, we give a comprehensive overview of bismuthene from synthesis to applications. First, the structures and properties of bismuthene are summarized based on the theoretical simulation and experimental results. Then, the synthesis methods of bismuthene, mainly including liquid phase exfoliation, wet-chemical method and epitaxial growth are shown along with the pros and cons of each. The wide applications of bismuthene in electro/photo-catalysis, sensors, biomedicine, batteries, supercapacitors, optoelectronics, and nonlinear optical devices are further discussed. Finally, we conclude the current status, remaining challenges, and possible research directions to advance this exciting field.