Probing Surface‐Mediated Electronic Coupling in Flat Hexagonal Phosphorus Nanostructures and Monolayer on Au(111)

Abstract Due to its diverse allotropes and intriguing properties, 2D phosphorus, also known as phosphorene, is a material of great interest. Here, the successful growth of flat hexagonal 2D phosphorus on Au(111) is reported. Starting from phosphorus linear chains at low coverage, a porous network and finally an extended 2D flat hexagonal (HexP) layer while increasing phosphorus deposition is formed. Using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy combined with ab initio calculations, the structure and electronic properties of the as‐grown phosphorus structures are followed. The progressive formation of a phosphorus electronic band in the conduction band region is followed. More strikingly, a partial flatband that appears only on the HexP phase characterized by a sharp peak in the electronic spectrum is observed. These bands arise from the hybridization of phosphorus and gold atoms. This novel phosphorus‐based structure exhibits remarkable electronic properties due to gold mediated phosphorus–phosphorus electronic coupling. This work paves the way for new interface material developments with attractive electronic properties.