Semiconductor to metal transition in two-dimensional gold and its van der Waals heterostack with graphene

Abstract

Dimensionality of a material is a critical parameter to control its electronic properties. Here, the authors report that 2D gold transforms from a semiconductor, with valence band maximum 50 meV below the Fermi level, into a metal by tuning the number of layers from 1 to 2 in between graphene and SiC.