A Perspective on Recent Advances in Phosphorene Functionalization and Its Applications in Devices

Phosphorene, the 2D material derived from black phosphorus, has recently attracted a lot of interest for its properties, suitable for applications in materials science. The physical features and the prominent chemical reactivity on its surface render this nanolayered substrate particularly promising for electrical and optoelectronic applications. In addition, being a new potential ligand for metals, it opens the way for a new role of the inorganic chemistry in the 2D world, with special reference to the field of catalysis. The aim of this review is to summarize the state of the art in this subject and to present our most recent results in the preparation, functionalization, and use of phosphorene and its decorated derivatives. We discuss several key points, which are currently under investigation: the synthesis, the characterization by theoretical calculations, the high pressure behavior of black phosphorus, as well as its decoration with nanoparticles and encapsulation in polymers. Finally, device fabrication and electrical transport measurements are overviewed on the basis of recent literature and the new results collected in our laboratories.