The element phosphorus can exist in various allotropes and changes its properties with each new form. So far, red, violet, white and black phosphorus have been known. While some phosphorus compounds are essential for life, white phosphorus is poisonous and inflammable and black phosphorus - on the contrary - particularly robust.

Now, another allotrope has been identified: In 2014, a team from Michigan State University, USA, performed model calculations to predict that "blue phosphorus" should be also stable. In this form, the phosphorus atoms arrange in a honeycomb structure similar to graphene, however, not completely flat but regularly "buckled".

Model calculations showed that blue phosphorus is not a narrow gap semiconductor like black phosphorus in the bulk but possesses the properties of a semiconductor with a rather large band gap of 2 electron volts. This large gap, which is seven times larger than in bulk black phosphorus, is important for optoelectronic applications.

Blue P examined at BESSY II
In 2016, blue phosphorus was successfully stabilized on a gold substrate by evaporation. Nevertheless, only now we know for certain that the resulting material is indeed blue phosphorus. To this end, a team from HZB around Evangelos Golias has probed the electronic band structure of the material at BESSY II.

They were able to measure by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy the distribution of electrons in its valence band, setting the lower limit for the band gap of blue phosphorus.

Band structure influenced by the substrate
They found that the P atoms do not arrange independently of the gold substrate but try to adjust to the spacings of the Au atoms. This distorts the corrugated honeycomb lattice in a regular manner which in turn affects the behavior of electrons in blue phosphorus.

As a result, the top of the valence band that defines the one end of the semiconducting band gap agrees with the theoretical predictions about its energy position but is somewhat shifted.

Outlook: optoelectronic applications
"So far, researchers have mainly used bulk black phosphorus to exfoliate atomically thin layers", Prof. Oliver Rader, head of HZB-Department Materials for green spintronics explains.

"These also show a large semiconducting band gap but do not possess the honeycomb structure of blue phosphorus and, above all, cannot be grown directly on a substrate. Our work not only reveals all the material properties of this novel two-dimensional phosphorus allotrope but highlights the impact of the supporting substrate on the behavior of electrons in blue phosphorus, an essential parameter for any optoelectronic application."

Research paper

Related Links
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fur Materialien und Energie
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Researchers quickly harvest 2-D materials, bringing them closer to commercialization
Boston MA (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
Since the 2003 discovery of the single-atom-thick carbon material known as graphene, there has been significant interest in other types of 2-D materials as well. These materials could be stacked together like Lego bricks to form a range of devices with different functions, including operating as semiconductors. In this way, they could be used to create ultra-thin, flexible, transparent and wearable electronic devices. However, separating a bulk crystal material into 2-D flakes for use in ele ... read more