Surface and interface control of black phosphorus

Black phosphorus (BP), a burgeoning class of two-dimensional semiconductors, possesses favorable properties such as large specific surface area, high charge carrier mobility, and thickness-dependent bandgap. In particular, the lone pair electrons of phosphorus atoms are highly reactive, and the structural anisotropy leads to many unique anisotropic physicochemical properties. The electronic structure and properties of BP are sensitive to external fields. In this respect, the surface and interface of BP can be modulated to adjust the optical, mechanical, magnetic, and electrical properties, but the relationship between the surface/interface structure and properties must be well understood to optimize one or more of these properties. In this review, recent progress pertaining to surface and interface control of BP is described. The topics include: (1) intrinsic characteristics of the BP surface and interfaces, (2) strategies to tailor and optimize the BP surface and interface, and (3) challenge and prospective.