Donor-acceptor type blends composed of black phosphorus and C₆₀ for solid-state optical limiters

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Black phosphorus (BP) is an emerging 2D material with unique electronic properties.
• Fullerenes, such as C60, are well-established electron acceptors used in optoelectronic devices.
• Optical limiting materials are crucial for protecting sensitive optical equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel donor-acceptor blends for optical limiting applications.
• To investigate the effect of annealing on the optical limiting performance of BP:C60 blends.
• To understand the underlying mechanism of enhanced optical limiting in BP:C60/PMMA films.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of black phosphorus (BP) and C60 donor-acceptor blends.
• Embedding BP:C60 blends into a poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) matrix.
• Characterization of optical limiting properties of annealed and non-annealed films.

Main Results:

• BP:C60/PMMA films were successfully fabricated.
• Annealed BP:C60 blends demonstrated significantly enhanced optical limiting response compared to C60, BP, and non-annealed blends.
• The enhanced response is attributed to thermal-induced intermolecular charge transfer between BP and C60.

Conclusions:

• Novel BP:C60/PMMA composite films show promising optical limiting capabilities.
• Annealing is a critical processing step to enhance the optical limiting performance.
• The findings suggest potential applications for these materials in optical protection devices.