Light-Induced Ambient Degradation of Few-Layer Black Phosphorus: Mechanism and Protection

The environmental instability of single- or few-layer black phosphorus (BP) has become a major hurdle for BP-based devices. The degradation mechanism remains unclear and finding ways to protect BP from degradation is still highly challenging. Based on ab initio electronic structure calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, a three-step picture on the ambient degradation of BP is provided: generation of superoxide under light, dissociation of the superoxide, and eventual breakdown under the action of water. The well-matched band gap and band-edge positions for the redox potential accelerates the degradation of thinner BP. Furthermore, it was found that the formation of P-O-P bonds can greatly stabilize the BP framework. A possible protection strategy using a fully oxidized BP layer as the native capping is thus proposed. Such a fully oxidization layer can resist corrosion from water and leave the BP underneath intact with simultaneous high hole mobility.