The role of water in the preparation and stabilization of high quality phosphorene flakes

TL;DR

This paper reveals that controlled amounts of water can enhance the synthesis and stability of high-quality phosphorene flakes during liquid exfoliation of black phosphorus, challenging previous beliefs about water's harmful effects.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a specific phosphorus/water molar ratio improves phosphorene quality and stability, providing new insights into its synthesis process.

Findings

Optimal phosphorus/water molar ratio is between 1.5 and 14.

Small amounts of water improve phosphorene stability.

Water presence enables high-quality phosphorene synthesis.

Abstract

Water is believed to be harmful for the stability of phosphorene.On the contrary, the presence of small amount of water allows the synthesis of high-quality material in liquid exfoliation of black phosphorus using dimethylsulfoxide as solvent. A phosphorus/water molar ratio between 1.5 and 14 maximizes the quality of the phosphorene flakes and their stability.