The role of oxygen incorporation in Ni (111) substrates on the growth of hexagonal boron nitride monolayers.

Reliable and controllable growth of two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is essential for its wide range of applications. Substrate engineering is one of the critical factors that influence the growth of the epitaxial h-BN films. Here, we report the growth of monolayer h-BN on Ni (111) substrates incorporated with oxygen atoms via molecular beam epitaxy.