No Arabic abstract
We employ a tight-binding parametrization based on the Slater Koster model in order to fit the band structures of single-layer, bilayer and bulk black phosphorus obtained from first-principles calculations. We find that our model, which includes 9 or 17 parameters depending on whether overlap is included or not, reproduces quite well the ab-initio band structures over a wide energy range, especially the occupied bands. We also find that the inclusion of overlap parameters improves the quality of the fit for the conduction bands. On the other hand, hopping and on-site energies are consistent throughout the different systems, which is an indication that our model is suitable for calculations on multilayer black phosphorus and more complex situations in which first-principles calculations become prohibitive, such as disordered systems and heterostructures with a large lattice mismatch. We also discuss the limitations of the model and how the fit procedure can be improved for a more accurate description of bands in the vicinity of the Fermi energy.
Phosphorus atomic chains, the utmost-narrow nanostructures of black phosphorus (BP), are highly relevant to the in-depth development of BP into one-dimensional (1D) regime. In this contribution, we report a top-down route to prepare atomic chains of BP via electron beam sculpting inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The growth and dynamics (i.e. rupture and edge migration) of 1D phosphorus chains are experimentally captured for the first time. Furthermore, the dynamic behaviors and associated energetics of the as-formed phosphorus chains are further corroborated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The 1D counterpart of BP will serve as a novel platform and inspire further exploration of the versatile properties of BP.
Recent experimental measurements of light absorption in few-layer black phosphorus (BP) reveal a series of high and sharp peaks, interspersed by pairs of lower and broader features. Here, we propose a theoretical model for these excitonic states in few-layer black phosphorus (BP) within a continuum approach for the in-plane degrees of freedom and a tight-binding approximation that accounts for inter-layer couplings. This yields excitonic transitions between different combinations of the sub-bands created by the coupled BP layers, which leads to a series of high and low oscillator strength excitonic states, consistent with the experimentally observed bright and dark exciton peaks, respectively. The main characteristics of such sub-band exciton states, as well as the possibility to control their energies and oscillator strengths via applied electric and magnetic fields, are discussed, towards a full understanding of the excitonic spectrum of few-layer BP and its tunability.
A material exhibiting a negative Poissons ratio is always one of the leading topics in materials science, which is due to the potential applications in those special areas such as defence and medicine. In this letter, we demonstrate a new material, few-layer orthorhombic arsenic, also possesses the negative Poissons ratio. For monolayer arsenic, the negative Poissons ratio is predicted to be around -0.09, originated from the hinge-like structure within the single layer of arsenic. When the layer increases, the negative Poissons ratio becomes more negative and finally approaches the limit at four-layer, which is very close to the bulks value of -0.12. The underlying mechanism is proposed for this layer-dependent negative Poissons ratio, where the internal bond lengths as well as the normal Poissons ratio within layer play a key role. The study like ours sheds new light on the physics of negative Poissons ratio in those hinge-like nano-materials.
Achieving good quality Ohmic contacts to van der Waals materials is a challenge, since at the interface between metal and van der Waals material, different conditions can occur, ranging from the presence of a large energy barrier between the two materials to the metallization of the layered material below the contacts. In black phosphorus (bP), a further challenge is its high reactivity to oxygen and moisture, since the presence of uncontrolled oxidation can substantially change the behavior of the contacts. In this study, we investigate the influence of the metal used for the contacts to bP against the variability between different flakes and different samples, using three of the most used metals as contacts: Chromium, Titanium, and Nickel. Using the transfer length method, from an analysis of ten devices, both at room temperature and at low temperature, Ni results to be the best metal for Ohmic contacts to bP, providing the lowest contact resistance and minimum scattering between different devices. Moreover, we investigate the gate dependence of the current-voltage characteristics of these devices. In the accumulation regime, we observe good linearity for all metals investigated.
Black phosphorus (BP) has recently emerged as an alternative 2D semiconductor owing to its fascinating electronic properties such as tunable bandgap and high charge carrier mobility. The structural investigation of few-layer BP, such as identification of layer thickness and atomic-scale edge structure, is of great importance to fully understand its electronic and optical properties. Here we report atomic-scale analysis of few-layered BP performed by aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We establish the layer-number-dependent atomic resolution imaging of few-layer BP via TEM imaging and image simulations. The structural modification induced by the electron beam leads to revelation of crystalline edge and formation of BP nanoribbons. Atomic resolution imaging of BP clearly shows the reconstructed zigzag (ZZ) edge structures, which is also corroborated by van der Waals first principles calculations on the edge stability. Our study on the precise identification of BP thickness and atomic-resolution imaging of edge structures will lay the groundwork for investigation of few-layer BP, especially BP in nanostructured forms.