Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopic Study of the Potential Dependence of Germanene Growth on Au(111) at pH 9.0.

Germanene is a 2D material whose structure and properties are of great interest for integration with Si technology. Preparation of germanene experimentally remains a challenge because, unlike graphene, bulk germanene does not exist. Thus, germanene cannot be directly exfoliated and is mostly grown in ultrahigh vacuum.