Crystallized phosphorus/carbon composites with tunable P C bonds by high pressure and high temperature

Crystallized black phosphorus-graphite (BP-G) composites with tunable phosphorus carbon (PC) bonds have been prepared by a facile high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) method. It is found that PC bonds were formed between phosphorus and graphene layers, and their concentration can be tuned by controlling the ratio of the two precursors (i.e., red phosphorus and graphitic carbon nitride). The maximum content of PC bond is ∼13.3% in the obtained composites by HPHT treatment, which reaches the highest record reported previously by other methods. Meanwhile, by combining theoretical calculation with experiment, we studied the bonding sites of PC bonds, and also the effect of PC bonds on the cycling performance of crystallized BP-G composites, which sheds new insights into our understanding on the electrochemical performance of phosphorus/carbon materials.