journal article·2025-09Open access

Bandgap Tuning of β‐(AlxGa1‐x)2O3 Nanosheets via Liquid Metal Interface Engineering

Somayeh Rafiezadeh, Ali Zavabeti, Jianbo Tang, Andrew J. Christofferson, Nastaran Meftahi, Matthew R. Phillips, Kourosh Kalantar‐Zadeh, Mohammad B. Ghasemian, Cuong Ton‐That

Advanced Optical Materials· Volume 13· Issue 27

Abstract

Abstract Precise engineering of the electronic band structure in 2D metal oxides is essential for advancing optical and electronic nanodevices, yet achieving compositional control at the nanoscale remains challenging. Here, a low‐temperature liquid metal‐based synthesis method is used to fabricate β‐(AlxGa1‐x)2O3 nanosheets with tunable composition (x = 0–0.88). This approach enables selective aluminium enrichment in nanosheets while preserving the monoclinic crystal structure and adopting the (−201) orientation, similar to conventional β‐Ga2O3 thin films. The synthesized nanosheets exhibit large lateral dimensions (>100 µm) and an average thickness of 3.2 ± 0.5 nm, making them suitable for nanoscale device applications. By varying the Al content from 0 to 10 at% in the liquid metal, the bandgap is tuned from 4.50 eV (pure β‐Ga2O3) to 6.41 eV (β‐(Al0.88Ga0.12)2O3). Molecular dynamics simulations provide insights into the Al enrichment mechanism at the liquid metal interface. The β‐(AlxGa1‐x)2O3 nanosheets retain key β‐Ga2O3 characteristics, including self‐trapped hole formation, ensuring structural and electronic integrity. The liquid metal synthesis method overcomes limitations of conventional deposition techniques, offering a scalable approach for tailoring 2D metal oxide properties and enabling bandgap‐engineered optoelectronic applications.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Ga2O3 and related materials · ZnO doping and properties · Semiconductor materials and devices

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences University of Technology Sydney Ultimo NSW 2007 Australia

School of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales Kensington NSW 2052 Australia

School of Science STEM College RMIT University Melbourne VIC Australia

Department of Civil and Construction Engineering Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne VIC Australia

School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Sydney Darlington NSW 2008 Australia

Funding

National Computational Infrastructure · Australian Research Council · Australian Synchrotron

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