Scalable Van der Waals Encapsulation by Inorganic Molecular Crystals

Encapsulation is critical for devices to guarantee their stability and reliability. It becomes an even more essential requirement for devices based on 2D materials with atomic thinness and far inferior stability compared to their bulk counterparts. Here a general van der Waals (vdW) encapsulation method for 2D materials using Sb2O3 layer of inorganic molecular crystal fabricated via thermal evaporation deposition is reported. It is demonstrated that such a scalable encapsulation method not only maintains the intrinsic properties of typical air-susceptible 2D materials due to their vdW interactions but also remarkably improves their environmental stability. Specifically, the encapsulated black phosphorus (BP) exhibits greatly enhanced structural stability of over 80 days and more sustaining-electrical properties of 19 days, while the bare BP undergoes degradation within hours. Moreover, the encapsulation layer can be facilely removed by sublimation in vacuum without damaging the underlying materials. This scalable encapsulation method shows a promising pathway to effectively enhance the environmental stability of 2D materials, which may further boost their practical application in novel (opto)electronic devices.

Automated summary

This study reports a van der Waals encapsulation method for 2D materials, which enhances their environmental stability and maintains their intrinsic properties. The encapsulated black phosphorus material exhibits improved structural and electrical stability, and the encapsulation layer can be easily removed.