Recent advances in borophene and its composites: perspective on its evolution, properties, and future applications

Borophene is considered a new class of flatland material with exceptional qualities that can fine-tune the applications of 2D materials in various fields from electronics to energy conversion. Borophene is a comparatively new 2D material that is emerging, and material scientists are under high impulse to utilize it for functional applications since its outstanding electronic, thermal, and mechanical characteristics surpass graphene and many other members of the 2D family. There are theoretical studies on the properties of borophene that provide insight into the potential application of borophene-based materials. Different methods have been developed for synthesizing borophene, but reproducibility and scalability are considered serious concerns. Though there is ample proof of obtaining outstanding properties of borophene via computational analysis, experimental validation and the subsequent utilization of borophene in various areas are yet to emerge. This review tries to showcase the applications and properties of borophene with a special emphasis on the extensive opportunities of borophene composites through a bibliometric approach.