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Kendahl Walz

Kendahl Walz Mitra
Kendahl Walz

As global reliance on digital infrastructures grows, so too does the energy required to power them. Current technologies waste much of this energy through electrical resistance. Harnessing ballistic transport in 2D-nanosheets can reduce resistivity and produce high-efficiency, low-energy devices. Phosphorene nanosheets are particularly well-suited to low-energy electronics with a layer-dependent bandgap, high carrier mobility, and high current switching ratio. However, reliably producing few-layered nanosheets is challenging: current methods suffer from poor scalability, yield, and reproducibility. Additionally, in ambient conditions, phosphorene oxidizes rapidly which degrades its electronic properties. I will tune the dispersibility and counteract the oxidation of phosphorene (a Lewis base) by attaching solubilizing Lewis acids to its surface; this will increase the yield of nanosheets in solution and form a physical barrier on the surface to prevent oxidation. My work will pave the way for scalable phosphorene device fabrication while preserving the inherent electronic properties of the nanosheet.

Advisor: Alexandra Velian – Chemistry

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