Strain and the optoelectronic properties of nonplanar phosphorene monolayers

Lattice kirigami, ultralight metamaterials, polydisperse aggregates, ceramic nanolattices, and 2D atomic materials share an inherent structural discreteness, and their material properties evolve with their shape. To exemplify the intimate relation among material properties and the local geometry, we explore the properties of phosphorene––a new 2D atomic material––in a conical structure, and document a decrease of the semiconducting gap that is directly linked to its nonplanar shape. This geometrical effect occurs regardless of phosphorene allotrope considered, and it provides a unique optical vehicle to single out local structural defects on this 2D material. We also classify other 2D atomic materials in terms of their crystalline unit cells, and propose means to obtain the local geometry directly from their diverse 2D structures while bypassing common descriptions of shape that are based from a parametric continuum.