Video: New method helps scientists work with air-sensitive 2-D materials

Two-dimensional materials, consisting of atomically thin layers, are being eyed by researchers for their use in energy storage, wearable electronics, and more. Researchers commonly use adhesive tape to peel off and fabricate thin flakes of some of the newer materials. But it can be tough to make large flakes of 2-D materials this way. And some of the materials, such as black phosphorus, are air sensitive and therefore even harder to study. Now, a team at the University of Arkansas has designed an airtight sample cell and combined it with a fabrication technique called hot exfoliation to produce large samples of air-sensitive 2-D materials such as black phosphorus and then image them more easily (J. Visualized Exp. 2019, DOI: 10.3791/58693).

Music: “Thief in the Night” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY 3.0.