Nanoscopy reveals surface-metallic black phosphorus

摘要

Black phosphorus(BP)is an emerging two-dimensional material with intriguing physical properties.It is highly anisotropic and highly tunable by means of both the number of monolayers and surface doping.Here,we experimentally investigate and theoretically interpret the near-field properties of a-few-atomic-monolayer nanoflakes of BP.We discover near-field patterns of bright outside fringes and a high surface polarizability of nanofilm BP consistent with its surface-metallic,plasmonic behavior at mid-infrared frequencies o1176 cm−1.We conclude that these fringes are caused by the formation of a highly polarizable layer at the BP surface.This layer has a thickness of~1 nm and exhibits plasmonic behavior.We estimate that it contains free carriers in a concentration of n≈1.1×10^(20) cm^(−3).Surface plasmonic behavior is observed for 10–40 nm BP thicknesses but absent for a 4-nm BP thickness.This discovery opens up a new field of research and potential applications in nanoelectronics,plasmonics and optoelectronics.