Method Stabilizes, Enhances Phosphorene
May 3, 2016 | Northwestern UniversityEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Two years ago, Northwestern Engineering’s Mark Hersam discovered a way to stabilize exfoliated black phosphorus — or phosphorene — a layered semiconductor that chemically degrades in open air but shows great promise for electronics. By encapsulating it in aluminum oxide, he was able to stabilize phosphorene’s reactivity to oxygen and water.
“The problem is that now the phosphorene is buried underneath the aluminum oxide coating, which limits what we can do with it,” said Hersam, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. “Wouldn’t it be better if we could stabilize phosphorene without occluding its surface?”
Hersam and his team have done just that.
By using organic chemistry to covalently react a single-molecule-thick layer onto phosphorene, the team effectively imparted the same passivation it achieved with alumina back in 2014. But this time the layer is thin enough to leave access to the material’s surface.
“If it’s going to be useful for applications such as sensors, then whatever you want to detect needs to be able to interact with the material,” Hersam said. “The thick layer of aluminum oxide prevented any atmospheric species from reaching the phosphorene surface, so it could not be used as a detector.”
Supported by the Office of Naval Research and the Department of Energy, the research is described online in the May 2 issue of the journal Nature Chemistry. Christopher Ryder, a graduate student in Hersam’s laboratory, served as the paper’s first author. Tobin J. Marks, Vladimir N. Ipatieff Professor of Catalytic Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and professor of materials science and engineering, and George Schatz, the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry and professor of chemical and biological engineering, also co-authored the paper.
In recent years, phosphorene has captured attention as a powerful semiconductor with high potential for use in thin, flexible electronics. Its instability in open air, however, has prevented it from being tested in possible applications, such as transistors, optoelectronics, sensors, or even batteries. Now it turns out that the covalently bonded, single-molecule-thick layer might even increase phosphorene’s value for use in these applications. The team discovered that not only does the layer prevent phosphorene from degrading, but it also improves its electronic properties.
“The chemistry influenced the flow of charge through phosphorene,” Hersam said. “We achieved improvement in charge mobility, which is related to the speed of the transistor, and how well it switches in an integrated circuit.”
Now that Hersam’s team has created a stable version of phosphorene, it plans to explore these potential applications. The next step is to create optimized devices based on phosphorene and compare them to devices made with alternative materials.
“We can imagine many possibilities,” Hersam said. “The future will teach us exactly where phosphorene has a competitive advantage.”
Suggested Items
The Shaughnessy Report: Unlock Your High-speed Material Constraints
05/15/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy -- Column: The Shaughnessy ReportThe world of PCB materials used to be a fairly simple one. It was divided into two groups: the “traditional” laminates, often called FR-4, and the high-speed laminates developed especially for high-speed PCBs. These were two worlds that usually didn’t collide. But then traditional laminates started getting better, and high-speed designers and design engineers took notice and started to reconsider what FR-4 could be used for.
Breaking High-speed Material Constraints: Design007 Magazine — May 2024
05/14/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamDo you need specialty materials for your high-speed designs? Maybe not. Improvements in resins mean designers of high-speed boards can sometimes use traditional laminate systems instead of high-speed materials, saving time and money while streamlining the fab process. In the May 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, our contributors explain how to avoid overconstraining your materials when working with high-speed boards.
Indium Experts to Present at Electronics in Harsh Environments SMTA Conference
05/13/2024 | Indium Corporationndium Corporation Technical Manager for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Karthik Vijay, will deliver a technical presentation and Indium Corporation Senior Technologist, Dr. Ronald Lasky, will deliver both a workshop and technical presentation at the Electronics in Harsh Environments SMTA Conference on May 14-16 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ansys’ Collaboration with Schrödinger will Accelerate Materials Development with Unprecedented Multiscale Simulation
05/09/2024 | ANSYSAnsys and Schrödinger are collaborating to deliver an ICME approach that bridges the gap between materials discovery and product development.
2024 Apple iPad Pro Estimated to Ship Between 4.5 to 5 Million Units
05/08/2024 | TrendForceApple’s recent product launch in May introduced a lineup of new tablets featuring advanced AMOLED screens. Notably, the Pro version boasts a dual-layer tandem structure designed to address the longstanding challenges of screen burn-in and lifespan that are common with AMOLED displays.