Graphene, or a single layer of graphite, has a set of novel properties that have attracted tremendous attention since its discovery. Nitrogen is the next neighbor to carbon in the periodic table of elements, so it is natural to question whether nitrogen can form a 2-D material similar to graphene. It is not easy to imagine such a nitrogen layer because nitrogen has one more electron than carbon, overwhelming the bonding requirement of graphene. However, all elements in the VA group bar nitrogen do possess allotropes with layered structures similar to graphite but with the layers being buckled (Figure 1A). Phosphorene is a typical 2-D material derived from the buckled honeycomb layers of black phosphorus. It exhibits a number of unusual electronic, mechanical, optical, and transport properties with great potential as a prototypical next-generation 2-D material. Finding a BP-structured nitrogen means the synthesis of a nitrogen-based 2-D material, or nitrogene, may become possible.
Click here for original story, Scientists discover a long-sought-after nitrogen allotrope in black phosphorus structure
Source: Phys.org