Semiconducting Black Phosphorus: Synthesis, Transport Properties and Electronic Applications

TL;DR

This review covers the synthesis, properties, and electronic applications of black phosphorus and phosphorene, emphasizing their potential in optoelectronic devices and recent advances in understanding their transport characteristics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of black phosphorus's 100-year research history, focusing on recent developments in its synthesis, properties, and applications in electronics.

Findings

Black phosphorus can be exfoliated into phosphorene with distinct properties.

Transport properties of black phosphorus show promise for electronic applications.

Black phosphorus has potential in optical and electronic devices.

Abstract

Phosphorus is one of the most abundant elements preserved in earth, constructing with a fraction of ~0.1% of the earth crust. In general, phosphorus has several allotropes. The two most commonly seen allotropes, white and red phosphorus, are widely used in explosives and safety matches. In addition, black phosphorus, though rarely mentioned, is a layered semiconductor and have great potentials in optical and electronic applications. Remarkably, this layered material can be reduced to one single atomic layer in the vertical direction owing to the van der Waals structure, known as phosphorene, where the physical properties can be tremendously different from its bulk counterpart. In this review article, we trace back to the 100 years research history on black phosphorus from the synthesis to material properties, and extend the topic from black phosphorus to phosphorene. The physical and transport properties are highlighted, aiming at further applications in electronic and optoelectronics devices.