2015/07/31 by Kainen Utt, Pablo Rivero, Utt, Kainen L. +11
Materials Science · #2D Materials and Applications #FOS: Physical sciences #Graphene research and applications #MXene and MAX Phase Materials #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1507.08994
openalex publication_date 2015/07/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Black phosphorus is a monoatomic semiconducting layered material that degrades exothermically in the presence of light and ambient contaminants. Its degradation dynamics remain largely unknown. Even before degradation, local-probe studies indicate non-negligible local curvature --through a non-constant height distribution-- due to the unavoidable presence of intrinsic defects. We establish that these intrinsic defects are photo-oxidation sites because they lower the chemisorption barrier of ideal black phosphorus (> 10 eV and out of visible-range light excitations) right into the visible and ultra-violet range (1.6 to 6.8 eV), thus enabling photo-induced oxidation and dissociation of oxygen dimers. A full characterization of the material's shape and of its electronic properties at the early stages of the oxidation process is presented as well. This study thus provides fundamental insights into the degradation dynamics of this novel layered material.