2D Amino-Functionalized Black Phosphorus: A New Approach to Improve Hydrogen Gas Detection Performance

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces Vol. 16; no. 30; pp. 39796 - 39806
• Main Authors: Rossi, Arianna, Impemba, Salvatore, Serrano-Ruiz, Manuel, Caporali, Maria, Fabbri, Barbara, Valt, Matteo, Gaiardo, Andrea, Filippi, Jonathan, Vanzetti, Lia, Banchelli, Martina, Vincenzi, Donato, Guidi, Vincenzo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 31.07.2024
• Subjects: Functional Nanostructured Materials (including low-D carbon); phosphorene functionalized; chemoresistive gas sensors; hydrogen; 2D materials; urea
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c06137

In recent years, hydrogen has gained attention as a potential solution to replace fossil fuels, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The development of ever improving hydrogen sensors is a topic that is constantly under study due to concerns about the inherent risk of leaks of this gas and potential explosions. In this work, a new, long-term, stable phosphorene-based sensor was developed for hydrogen detection. A simple functionalization of phosphorene using urea was employed to synthesize an air-stable material, subsequently used to prepare films for gas sensing applications, via the drop casting method. The material was deeply characterized by different techniques (scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron, and Raman spectroscopy), and the stability of the material in a noninert atmosphere was evaluated. The phosphorene-based sensor exhibited high sensitivity (up to 700 ppm) and selectivity toward hydrogen at room temperature, as well as long-term stability over five months under ambient conditions. To gain further insight into the gas sensing mechanism over the surface, we employed a dedicated apparatus, namely operando diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform, by exposing the chemoresistive sensor to hydrogen gas under dry air conditions.