In periodic table, boron is situated next to carbon and exhibits interesting physical properties, which stem from electronically deficient, extremely delocalized covalent bonds. Despite the fact that the first theoretical predictions about the existence of 2D boron allotropes were made some time ago, the first structures of borophene were synthesized fairly recently. The unique quality of arrangement of boron atoms into 2D structures with hexagonal voids is the reason why allotropy is typical of borophenes. Some of the allotropic modifications are more stable and probable than others, they differ in physical and chemical properties. The fact that borophenes have inspiring physical properties such as negative Poisson's ratio, extreme anisotropy of Young's modulus and other intriguing electronic and thermal transport properties is exactly why they have received much interest in the world of nanotechnology.
At the beginning of this document I talk about some properties of boron as the main cornerstone of borophene. This is followed by the description of borophenes, the principle of their allotropy and how they are built. I briefly describe some of their exceptional physical and chemical properties and their possible usage in near future.
The main part of the content portrays their construction and synthesis on various metallic substrates which enable borophene synthesis and are key for its stabilisation on the metal surface. Each synthesis among the substrates differs in part, yet on the outside their principle looks similar. It is difficult to conclude with a precise definition that would be common to all the borophene syntheses on metallic substrates since only few have been experimentally done up until this day. For the latter, more additional research and experiments to prove it are required. In the conclusion I provide a summary of each of the successfully carried out borophene syntheses on various metallic substrates.
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