Atomically Precise Bottom-Up Growth of Semiconducting Te Nanoribbons

The synthesis of semiconducting nanoribbons with atomic precision remains a formidable challenge, yet is critical for future downscaling of advanced logic and memory devices. Here, the successful epitaxial growth of atomically precise Te nanoribbons via a buffer-layer engineering strategy on Cu(111) is demonstrated. An ultraflat blue phosphorene monolayer is first introduced onto the Cu surface to suppress the direct Cu─Te interfacial alloying. Subsequent Te deposition cleaves P─P bonds, inducing the generation of Cu₂Te₂ with periodic trenches atop a Cu₂P phase. This template guides the self-assembly of Te into ordered arrays of three-atom-wide zigzag nanoribbons. Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations reveal a semiconducting 1T-MoS₂-like structure with a bandgap of 0.51 eV and a mobility of ≈1000 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. Given the versatility of this buffer layer control strategy, it can establish a general paradigm for the precise synthesis of monoelemental nanoribbon structures with tailored chemical and electronic properties.