High Yield Growth and Doping of Black Phosphorus with Tunable Electronic Properties

TL;DR

This paper introduces an efficient growth method for high-yield black phosphorus and demonstrates controlled doping to tune its electronic properties and enhance stability, expanding its potential applications.

Contribution

The study presents a novel short-distance transport growth technique for high-yield BP and its doping with multiple elements, enabling tunable electronic structures and improved air stability.

Findings

Achieved 98% conversion of red phosphorus to BP.

Successfully doped BP with As, Sb, Bi, Se, and Te.

Doping alters band gap, work function, and stability.

Abstract

Black phosphorus (BP) has recently attracted significant interest due to its unique electronic and optical properties. Doping is an effective strategy to tune a material's electronic structures, however, the direct and controllable growth of BP with a high yield and its doping remain a great challenge. Here we report an efficient short-distance transport (SDT) growth approach and achieve the controlled growth of high quality BP with the highest yield so far, where 98% of the red phosphorus is converted to BP. The doping of BP by As, Sb, Bi, Se and Te are also achieved by this SDT growth approach. Spectroscopic results show that doping systematically changes its electronic structures including band gap, work function, and energy band position. As a result, we have found that the air-stability of doped BP samples (Sb and Te-doped BP) improves compared with pristine BP, due to the downshift of the conduction band minimum with doping. This work develops a new method to grow BP and doped BP with tunable electronic structures and improved stability, and should extend the uses of these class of materials in various areas.