March 2, 2015

Black phosphorus is new ‘wonder material’ for improving optical communication




(March 2, 2015)  Phosphorus, a highly reactive element commonly found in match heads, tracer bullets, and fertilizers, can be turned into a stable crystalline form known as black phosphorus. In a new study, researchers from the University of Minnesota used an ultrathin black phosphorus film  —only 20 layers of atoms— to demonstrate high-speed data communication on nanoscale optical circuits.