Rapid oxidation of black phosphorus induced by copper ions via promoting oxygen bonding and phosphate desorption

Abstract

Black phosphorus (BP) has garnered significant interest in the field of biomedicine because of its exceptional degradability. The oxidation product of BP phosphate has been utilized in numerous studies for the purpose of repairing bone defects and inducing apoptosis and autophagy in cancer cells. Nevertheless, this process has drawbacks in terms of low yield and a slow rate of phosphate production. In this study, we found that the oxidation rate of BP was increased 120-fold and the yield proportion of phosphate BP product was increased from 30% to 85% with the presence of less than 0.1% copper ions (Cu2+) in the reaction system. The enhancement was attributed to the fact that the presence of Cu2+ promoted the bonding of oxygen on the BP surface and then the desorption of phosphate molecules from the BP surface. This study offers a novel perspective on the process of BP oxidation and introduces innovative concepts for the development of biological drug delivery systems capable of rapid decomposition.

Keywords

• black phosphorus
• reaction pathway
• reaction efficiency
• copper ions
• reaction mechanism