Few-layered black phosphorus (FLBP) nanomaterials are quickly joining other planar, i.e. 2-dimensional nanomaterials in a variety of optical, electronic, and biomedical applications, due to its remarkable physical-chemical properties. However, since FLBP nanomaterials have a propensity to degrade in the presence of oxygen, they have only recently been prepared in aqueous solution. Thus, the aquatic stability of these FLBP nanomaterials is not well known. In this study, we performed fundamental colloidal stability experiments to better characterize these novel nanomaterials. Specifically, the influence of aquatic conditions on the electrophoretic mobility and effective diameter, including that of ionic strength, pH, and the presence of biologically relevant protein were explored. Findings include unexpected trends of the electrophoretic mobility being only minimally affected by extreme pH levels, and the effective diameter of the suspension likewise being relatively unresponsive to even a 5-log increase in ionic strength as compared to other planar nanomaterials. Yet, the rate of aggregation of the FLBP nanomaterials was also evaluated to determine the critical coagulation concentration of the suspension and identify the diffusion-limited and reaction-limited aggregation regimes. This work serves as the first fundamental study of the aquatic stability of an emergent nanomaterial and lays the groundwork for continued development for colloidal applications of few-layered black phosphorus.

Aquatic stability of few-layered black phosphorus: The leading edge of 2-dimensional nanomaterials

254th National Meeting (2017)

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