Lateral epitaxial growth of two-dimensional heterostructure linked by gold adatoms

Lateral two-dimensional(2D)heterostructures have great potential for device engineering at the atomistic scale.Their production is hindered by difficulties in obtaining atomically sharp interface free from intermixture.Here we report the continuous construction of a lateral heterostructure using blue phosphorene and tetrafluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane(F_(4)TCNQ)as the building blocks.The lateral heterostructure is achieved by linking the semiconducting F_(4)TCNQ-Au metal organic framework and the metallic blue phosphorene-Au network via Au adatoms.The structural and electronic properties of the heterostructure have been investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy(STM/S),complemented by density functional theory(DFT)calculations,demonstrating a structurally and electrically abrupt interface.Our approach offers the possibility of high flexibility and control that can be extended to other metal-organic species and 2D materials,establishing a foundation for the development of atomically thin in-plane superlattice and devices.