Epitaxial Growth of 1D Phosphorus Nanoribbons on Ag(110) Substrate: the Essential Role of Pentagonal Nature and Interfacial Adatoms in Realizing 1D Phosphorus Systems

Controlling the dimensionality plays a critical role in manipulating the electronic structures and the emergent novel quantum properties. Despite intensive reports on controlling and fabricating 2D materials, the investigation of fabricating well-controlled 1D materials system remains insufficient. Here, through a comprehensive investigation with the combination of scanning tunneling microscopy and first-principles calculations, it reveals that the magic pentagonal nature plays a vital role in stabilizing the 1D phosphorus nanoribbons (PNRs), as revealed by the binding energies and bonding characteristics of 0D and 1D models with exceptional stability in pentagonal and hexagonal configurations. Besides, another 1D PNRs are produced by introducing the interfacial silver (Ag) adatoms, at a higher thermal annealing temperature. The latter demonstrates the interfacial Ag adatoms and the pentagonal nature facilitate charge density saturation, which collectively reinforces the 1D structural stability. These findings convincingly open perspectives for designing 1D phosphorus-based and other group V elemental materials, offering prospects for exploring exotic physical phenomena.