As global reliance on digital infrastructures grows, so too does the energy required to power them. Current technologies waste much of this energy through electrical resistance. Harnessing ballistic transport in 2D-nanosheets can reduce resistivity and produce high-efficiency, low-energy devices. Phosphorene nanosheets are particularly well-suited to low-energy electronics with a layer-dependent bandgap, high carrier mobility, and high current switching ratio. However, reliably producing few-layered nanosheets is challenging: current methods suffer from poor scalability, yield, and reproducibility. Additionally, in ambient conditions, phosphorene oxidizes rapidly which degrades its electronic properties. I will tune the dispersibility and counteract the oxidation of phosphorene (a Lewis base) by attaching solubilizing Lewis acids to its surface; this will increase the yield of nanosheets in solution and form a physical barrier on the surface to prevent oxidation. My work will pave the way for scalable phosphorene device fabrication while preserving the inherent electronic properties of the nanosheet.
Advisor: Alexandra Velian – Chemistry