Unlocking the Potential: Atomically Thin 2D Fluoritene from Exfoliated Fluorite Ore and Its Electrochemical Activity.

Fluorite mineral holds significant importance because of its optoelectronic properties and wide range of applications. Here, we report the successful exfoliation of bulk fluorite ore (calcium fluoride, CaF) crystals into atomically thin two-dimensional fluoritene (2D CaF) using a highly scalable liquid-phase exfoliation method. The microscopic and spectroscopy characterizations show the formation of (111) plane-oriented 2D CaF sheets with exfoliation-induced material strain due to bond breaking, leading to the changes in lattice parameter.