Encapsulation-Free Stabilization of Few-Layer Black Phosphorus.
Christopher ElbadawiRoger Tormo QueraltZai-Quan XuJames BishopTaimur AhmedSruthi KuriakoseSumeet WaliaMilos TothIgor AharonovichCharlene J LoboPublished in: ACS applied materials & interfaces (2018)
Under ambient conditions and in H2O and O2 environments, reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause immediate degradation of the mobility of few-layer black phosphorus (FLBP). Here, we show that FLBP degradation can be prevented by maintaining the temperature in the range ∼125-300 °C during ROS exposure. FLBP devices maintained at elevated temperature show no deterioration of electrical conductance, in contrast to the immediate degradation of pristine FLBP held at room temperature. Our results constitute the first demonstration of stable FLBP in the presence of ROS without requiring encapsulation or a protective coating. The stabilization method will enable applications based on the surface properties of intrinsic FLBP.