Photoluminescence as a probe of phosphorene properties

Here, we provide a detailed evaluation of photoluminescence (PL) as a comprehensive tool for phosphorene characterization with the emphasis on a prominent quantitative role of PL in providing fingerprint-like features due to its extreme sensitivity to the band structure details, anisotropy, disorder, external fields, etc. Factors such as number of layers, dimensionality, structural and chemical disorder, and environmental factors and their effect on phosphorene's PL signal are reviewed and discussed. Applications of PL in monitoring phosphorene and its modifications, as well as potential impacts on the fields of chemical and biosensing, nanomedicine, and solar energy harvesting, are also elaborated.

Automated summary

This study provides a detailed evaluation of photoluminescence (PL) as a comprehensive tool for phosphorene characterization, emphasizing its prominent quantitative role in providing fingerprint-like features due to extreme sensitivity to band structure details, anisotropy, disorder, and external fields. It reviews the effects of factors such as number of layers, dimensionality, structural and chemical disorder, and environmental factors on phosphorene's PL signal, as well as elaborates on the applications of PL in monitoring phosphorene and its modifications in various fields such as chemical and biosensing, nanomedicine, and solar energy harvesting.