⚡ Scalable Strategy Unlocks High-Quality Black Phosphorus Nanoribbons for Next-Gen Electronics

Black Phosphorus Nanoribbons

In the rapidly evolving world of nanoelectronics, researchers are constantly seeking materials that combine miniaturization, efficiency, and scalability. One material that has captured global attention is black phosphorus (BP). With its tunable bandgap and superior carrier mobility, black phosphorus has long been a promising candidate for future transistors and optoelectronic devices. Yet a critical challenge has persisted: how to reliably and consistently fabricate black phosphorus nanoribbons (BPNRs) on a large scale.

Now, a team led by Professor Changxin Chen at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has developed a breakthrough strategy to produce high-quality BPNRs with unprecedented precision. Their work, published in Nature Materials, demonstrates a scalable, sonochemical exfoliation technique that could finally unlock the industrial potential of BPNRs for advanced electronics and photonics.

🔬 Why Black Phosphorus Nanoribbons Matter

Unlike graphene or carbon nanotubes, which often exhibit metallic as well as semiconducting properties, BPNRs are inherently semiconducting. This makes them exceptionally suited as channel materials for field-effect transistors (FETs). Even more compelling, their bandgap can be finely tuned simply by adjusting ribbon width — a property that allows engineers to optimize between switching performance and mobility.

This flexibility places BPNRs ahead of other contenders like graphene nanoribbons, which suffer from trade-offs between bandgap and mobility. As Chen notes: “BPNRs offer a superior balance between mobility and bandgap while avoiding the need for large-area two-dimensional black phosphorus.”

🧪 Sonochemical Exfoliation: A Scalable Breakthrough

The team’s fabrication strategy is based on an ingenious sonochemical exfoliation method. They first synthesized bulk BP crystals with slightly enlarged lattice parameters along the armchair direction. This internal stress predisposed the crystals to unzip preferentially along one plane. Under carefully tuned ultrasonic conditions, the bulk crystals were exfoliated into high-quality one-dimensional BPNRs.

The results were remarkable: nanoribbons as narrow as 1.5 nm — the thinnest reported to date — and widths centered at 32 nm, with a yield of up to 95%. These BPNRs exhibited nearly atomically smooth edges, reduced defect density, and superior electrical properties, all of which are critical for nanoelectronic applications.

⚡ Performance Beyond Expectations

Devices built with the newly synthesized nanoribbons displayed outstanding electronic performance. Field-effect transistors (FETs) based on these BPNRs achieved an on/off current ratio of 1.7×106 and a mobility of 1,506 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ — the highest comprehensive performance ever reported for BPNR or 2D BP devices.

Beyond electronics, the team also demonstrated the potential of BPNRs in near-infrared photodetection. Their narrow structures achieved a responsivity of 11.2 A/W and a detectivity of 1.1×1011 cm Hz1/2 W⁻¹, outperforming most comparable detectors based on 1D and 2D nanomaterials. This dual capability suggests broad applications ranging from low-power transistors to advanced optoelectronic sensors.

🌍 Toward Large-Scale Integration

The next challenge for Chen’s group is improving alignment and uniformity for large-scale integrated circuits. As Chen emphasizes: “Developing controlled strategies for unidirectional alignment and uniform widths will be crucial for integrating BPNRs into large-scale electronic systems.”

If these strategies succeed, black phosphorus nanoribbons could become a key enabler of next-generation nanoelectronics, offering compact, energy-efficient devices that push far beyond the limits of current silicon-based technology.

🔗 Learn More

Read the original article on Phys.org:
https://phys.org/news/2025-09-scalable-strategy-high-quality-black.html

Journal Reference:
Teng Zhang et al., High-quality narrow black phosphorus nanoribbons with nearly atomically smooth edges and well-defined edge orientation, Nature Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-025-02314-7

This article was prepared with the assistance of AI technologies.

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