Dispersion of Few-Layer Black Phosphorus in Binary Polymer Blend and Block Copolymer Matrices

• Main Authors: Serena Coiai, Elisa Passaglia, Simone Pinna, Stefano Legnaioli, Silvia Borsacchi, Franco Dinelli, Anna Maria Ferretti, Maria Caporali, Manuel Serrano-Ruiz, Maurizio Peruzzini, Francesca Cicogna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
• Series: Nanomaterials
• Subjects: few-layer black phosphorus; polymer blend composites; in situ RAFT polymerization; morphology
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/11/8/1996

Exfoliated black phosphorus (bP) embedded into a polymer is preserved from oxidation, is stable to air, light, and humidity, and can be further processed into devices without degrading its properties. Most of the examples of exfoliated bP/polymer composites involve a single polymer matrix. Herein, we report the preparation of biphasic polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) (50/50 wt.%) composites containing few-layer black phosphorus (fl-bP) (0.6–1 wt.%) produced by sonicated-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation. Micro-Raman spectroscopy confirmed the integrity of fl-bP, while scanning electron microscopy evidenced the influence of fl-bP into the coalescence of polymeric phases. Furthermore, the topography of thin films analyzed by atomic force microscopy confirmed the effect of fl-bP into the PS dewetting, and the selective PS etching of thin films revealed the presence of fl-bP flakes. Finally, a block copolymer/fl-bP composite (1.2 wt.%) was prepared via in situ reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization by sonication-assisted exfoliation of bP into styrene. For this sample, ³¹P solid-state NMR and Raman spectroscopy confirmed an excellent preservation of bP structure.