Abstract

Black phosphorus (BP)-based nanostructures have drawn a lot of attention due to their tunable bandgap and extraordinary properties such as: high surface-to-volume ratio, large number of active sites, and prominent edges. However, low dimensional structures of black phosphorus oxidize easily, which hamper their application on a broader scale. One way to overcome these difficulties is to modify the black phosphorus structure by substituting some of the phosphorus atoms for arsenic atoms, forming black arsenic-phosphorus (b-AsP). Despite the broad variety of atomically thin, two-dimensional materials, those with a bandgap range between 0.3 and 1.5 eV are plainly missing. Black phosphorus and black arsenic-phosphorus nanostructures not only correspond to the visible and infrared spectral range, but also possess additional tuning capabilities, which can further influence their electronic properties. In this dissertation, the structural and optical properties of BP and b-AsP nanoflakes and nanoribbons have been investigated. Moreover, surface modification of electrode materials with BP and b-AsP to enhance their electrochemical performance and sensing possibilities was investigated. The electrode materials chosen for BP and b-AsP modification were titania nanotubes (TiO2NTs), commercially available gold array electrodes, and CVD-fabricated polycrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) films.

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