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PbS is identified as a potential alternative candidate material for thermoelectric power generation and refrigeration, owing to the resemblance with PbTe in crystal and band structures. However, the thermoelectric performance has reached a bottleneck because of its inferior electronic structure and high lattice thermal conductivity. This work focuses on optimizing the electron–phonon transport by the synergistic effect of Ti and Cu2S in n-type PbS. The first-principles calculation, single Kane band model, and Debye model reveal the physical origin of thermoelectric enhancement. The Ti doping introduces a donor-defect state, leading to a high electrical conductivity and a suppression of bipolar diffusion. However, the band structure of PbS is not ideally optimized due to the localization effect of the Ti resonant impurity states. Furthermore, the co-added Cu2S induces additional point defects, multiscale secondary phases, and Cu-rich precipitates at grain boundaries, which significantly scatter phonons in a wide frequency range and reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. As a result, the maximum zT of ∼0.8 at 823 K and the average zTave of ∼0.46 from 300 to 623 K are achieved in n-type Pb0.99Ti0.01S–2%Cu2S, demonstrating the important roles of Ti and Cu2S on improving thermoelectrics in n-type PbS.

With the growing demand for broadband wireless communication, high-resolution radar, security inspection, and biological analysis, terahertz (THz) technology has made significant progress in recent years. The wide applications of THz technology benefited from the rapid development of various THz functional devices. Metasurface, an essential means of manipulating THz waves, has widely been applied in multiple THz functional devices. However, it is still a great challenge to construct flexible THz metasurface devices due to the lack of flexibility of traditional semiconductor and metal materials. In this work, a two-dimensional material, MXene, is used to prepare flexible metasurfaces with frequency filtering and polarization functions. By further combining with the phase-transition-material vanadium dioxide, the VO2/MXene metasurface exhibits good performance in amplitude modulation under electrical stimulation. The modulation depth of the device reaches 86% under a lower trigger power of 11.6 mW/mm2 and the response time is only ∼100 ms. Such a flexible active metasurface with superior performance and high integration will be useful in THz imaging systems, THz sensing systems, etc.

As the pseudo-binary alloys between GeTe and Sb2Te3, GeSbTe-based compounds are promising thermoelectric materials. Although Ge2Sb2Te5 and GeSb2Te4 have widely been studied, the thermoelectric properties of GeSb4Te7 have not been well understood yet. In this work, we design a series of GeSb4- xBi xTe7 solid solutions and systematically study the variation in the crystal structure, electrical, and thermal transport properties. Alloying Bi effectively reduces the carrier concentration and, thus, enhances the Seebeck coefficient. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity is greatly reduced via large mass fluctuations. A maximum zT of 0.69 at 550 K and an average zT value of 0.52 between 300 and 700 K have been achieved for GeSb1.5Bi2.5Te7. These findings will promote the understanding and development of GeSbTe-based thermoelectric materials.

Direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation is one of the most critical technologies of radar, remote sensing, and wireless communications. The traditional DOA estimation is closely related to phased array antennas, which require complicated and expensive hardware and high-power consumption. Metasurface can manipulate electromagnetic waves without using massive transceivers, which makes it possible to realize antenna arrays in a cost-effective way. Here, we propose a strategy of DOA estimations by using a time-domain-coding digital metasurface and a single receiver. Specifically, the incident wave on the metasurface is modulated by the time-domain orthogonal codes impressed on the meta-atoms, and their amplitude and phase distributions are precisely retrieved from the signals detected by the receiver antenna. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed strategy are verified by experiments on a two-dimensional metasurface with individually addressable meta-atoms. The strategy features low cost and high flexibility and will facilitate various wireless applications.

Van der Waals (vdW) integration of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets provides the possibility to design optoelectronic devices with extended functionality in a controllable manner. Here, by leveraging the appropriate energy band alignment and the high-efficiency charge transfer at the junction, we construct the MoS2/graphene/2D-perovskite vdW heterostructure, which realizes the highly sensitive and broadband photodetection. Particularly, at the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength (λ = 1550 nm), the heterostructure photodetector shows a balanced trade-off between the high responsivity (>3000 A/W) and fast response time (

The fact that the thermoelectric performance is far inferior to that of p-type PbTe has inspired many strategies to develop n-type PbTe thermoelectrics. Alloying PbS in n-type PbTe effectively changes the shape of a valley to trigger a heavier conduction band for improving the Seebeck coefficient, while the resulting small orbital overlap inevitably leads to phase separation hindering electron transport. The effect of vacancies on the solubility of sulfur in n-type PbTe is ambiguous; especially, the heterostructure due to phase separation in high-content PbS-alloyed PbTe also requires sufficient modification to optimize the electroacoustic transport. This motivates the current work on the introduction of vacancies by charge-balancing doping via Sb2Te3 and discovers striking new insight that the introduced vacancies can induce a new heterostructure of Pb2Sb2S5 and suppress the aggregation of Sb and PbS in high-solubility n-type PbTe–PbS. The modification of the band structure and optimization of the electron transport give rise to a prominent enhancement in electronic performance. Furthermore, the Debye–Callaway model validates the dramatic contribution of vacancy aggregation and heterostructures to lattice thermal conductivity. As a result, the synergistic modulation of electroacoustic characteristics achieves a significant improvement in both the maximum zT and the near-room-temperature zT. Understanding such unique findings is critical for applicability to other thermoelectric materials.

The energy density of dielectrics could be evaluated both via low-frequency P–E loop (quasi-static recoverable energy density, Wre) and fast discharge current (dynamic discharge energy density, Wdis). The value of Wdis represents the useful energy, which can be converted to electrical energy while most work about high-energy-density dielectrics is focused on enhancing Wre. In this work, we investigated the relationship between Wdis and Wre in (Pb1 − 3 x/2La x)[(Zr0.45Sn0.55)0.99Ti0.01]O3 antiferroelectrics. Tuning the phase transition properties could improve the fast discharge capability by reducing the difference between Wdis and Wre and accelerating the energy release rate. At 300 kV/cm, the composition with x = 0 has the highest Wre of 6.7 J/cm3 but a lower Wdis of only 4 J/cm3 and longer discharge time duration, indicating a “high-energy-density” (highest Wre) quasi-static performance but “low-energy-density” (lower Wdis) and slow discharge performance during fast discharge. A highest Wdis of 5.9 J/cm3 and power density were achieved in composition with x = 0.2 though with lower Wre. The various fast energy release performance was explained by their different domain mobility and phase switching behavior. Thus, purely pursing high Wre is with limitation and suppressing the difference between Wdis and Wre is with great significance. This work will give an approach for the development of energy storage dielectrics by connecting their fast discharge performance with polarization mechanism.

Silicon is a long-standing photosensitive material because of its unique photoelectronic properties and mature manufacturing technology. However, silicon photodetectors are generally limited by weak photoresponse in the near-infrared region. In this work, pressure is used as an effective means of tuning the photoresponse of silicon, specifically in the near-infrared region. Silicon has two different types of photoresponse under pressure. In the pressure range from 1 atm to 10 GPa, huge pressure-enhanced photocurrent is observed under illumination by a xenon lamp and near-infrared light (1064 nm). At 10 GPa, the photocurrent density ( Jph), responsivity ( R), and external quantum efficiency are increased 40-fold from those at 1.2 GPa. Interestingly, above 10 GPa, a unique pressure-induced positive–negative photoresponse switch is found along with the phase transformation from the semiconductive phase (Si I) to the metallic phase ( β-tin). Further experiments show that the photothermal effect is the main factor for negative photoresponse. All these pressure-induced properties give silicon more possibilities in the further design of visible and infrared photodetectors.

Halide solid electrolytes (HSEs) could be coated on high-voltage oxide cathodes at molecular-level via a solution process, which is highly favorable for reducing the interface impedance. However, during the preparation of composite cathodes, hydrate intermediates of HSEs are easily hydrolyzed to produce inactive impurities. In this work, the vacuum drying assisted method facilitates the generation of pure Li3InCl6 (LIC) on the surface of LiCoO2 (LCO) to improve the electrolyte/electrode solid–solid interface as well as the electrochemical stability of solid electrolyte under high voltage. By introducing Li7P3S11 as an anode buffer layer, 30 wt. %-LIC-coated LCO demonstrates high specific capacity of 121.7 mAh g−1 and good cycling stability. Our study highlights a promising method to build advanced composite cathodes for all-solid-state batteries.

Quantum dots (QDs)-based composites are promising candidates for optoelectronic and photonic devices. Understanding the photo-induced carrier dynamics is fundamental and crucial for improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency of nanocomposites. In this work, we have constructed nanocomposite hybridizing CdTe QDs with Au nanoclusters (Au NCs) and investigated the ultrafast carrier dynamics and enhanced photoelectric properties. The concurrent photoluminescence quenching and lifetime decreasing of CdTe QDs and Au NCs suggest a type-II band alignment, facilitating the carrier dynamics in the CdTe QDs-Au NCs' nanocomposite. The transient absorption measurements demonstrate an ultrafast and efficient electron transfer from CdTe QDs to Au NCs, effectively promoting the charge separation and inhibiting the exciton recombination. We found that the quantum efficiency of hot electron transfer can reach ∼50% with a rate constant of 1.01 × 1013 s−1 for the CdTe QDs-Au NCs' nanocomposite. As a result, the photocurrent performance of the CdTe QDs-Au NC device has been dramatically enhanced due to the efficient separation of photogenerated carriers, compared to that of individual CdTe QDs and Au NCs. These findings are significant for developing the light-harvesting and photoelectric devices based on semiconductor QDs and metal NCs.

Quasi two-dimensional (2D) perovskites are a new class of laser gain medium; however, the thickness of the solution-processed perovskite layer is usually too thin to support an optical mode due to the low solubilities of precursors. Here, we report a flexible large-area film transfer method to lengthen the cavity according to the resonant condition. Then a single-mode vertical-cavity quasi 2D (PEA)2Csn-1PbnX3n+1 (X:Br, Cl) perovskite pure green laser is demonstrated, which has a low threshold of 39.3 μJ/cm−2, a high-quality factor of 1159, and a highly linear polarization degree of 92.5% under nanosecond pulsed optical pumping. This is a significant step toward low-cost practical perovskite lasers.

Magnon excitations in antiferromagnetic materials and their physical implications have helped to facilitate the emergence of device concepts not presently available in ferromagnets. A unique characteristic of antiferromagnetic magnons is the coexistence of opposite spin polarization, which mimics the electron spin in a variety of transport phenomena. Among them, the most prominent spin-contrasting phenomenon is the magnon spin Nernst effect (SNE), which refers to the generation of a transverse pure magnon spin current through a longitudinal temperature gradient. We introduce selected recent progress in the study of magnon SNE in collinear antiferromagnets with focus on its underlying physical mechanism entailing profound topological features of magnon band structures. By reviewing how the magnon SNE has inspired and enriched the exploration of topological magnons, we offer our perspective on this emerging frontier that holds potential in future spintronic nano-technology.

A decrease in valence band energy offset can considerably improve the thermoelectric performance of SnTe, and alloying CdTe in SnTe has been confirmed to be efficient for inducing band convergence. However, the low solubility of CdTe in SnTe severely limits the further decrease in the energy offset and the reduction of lattice thermal conductivity. Inspired by the high solubility of Sb in SnTe-based thermoelectric materials, the trivalent Sb is introduced into SnTe–CdTe alloys, aiming at manipulating the thermoelectric transport properties. Combined with the valence band model, it is demonstrated that high concentration of Sb in SnTe–CdTe enables a further optimization in valence band structures, resulting in an improvement in density-of-state effective mass, thus significantly reinforces the power factor in the whole temperature range. Meanwhile, we propose the solid solution mode of Sb in SnTe, which always generates vacancies to balance the valence state, and the introduction of vacancies explains the reduced lattice parameters and almost constant carrier concentration. Particularly, the Debye–Callaway model quantitatively compares the contribution of Sb substitutional defects and vacancy defects. As a result, an enhanced zT of ∼1.1 has been achieved for Sn0.83Cd0.05Sb0.12Te at 823 K. This work clearly shows the critical role of Sb for enhancing the thermoelectric performance of SnTe–CdTe materials.

Twin boundaries (TBs) can increase interface scattering to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. InSb has good electronic transport properties, but its high thermal conductivity constrains its thermoelectric application. In this work, we aim to study the role of TBs on lattice thermal conductivity of InSb. We use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation to investigate how the TB spacing and orientation influence the lattice thermal conductivity of InSb. We find that TBs can hinder the heat flow, leading to decreased temperature gradient and, hence, remarkably reduced lattice thermal conductivity. The relationship between κL and λ can be described by a proportional function. Nanotwinned InSb with TB spacing of 1.1 nm has a lattice thermal conductivity of 12.6 W/m K, a decrease in 22.2% compared with its single crystal (16.2 W/m K). We also find that a minimum lattice thermal conductivity of InSb can be obtained when the TB orientation is perpendicular to the direction of heat flow. These findings provide a theoretical guidance for TBs engineering to reduce the thermal conductivity of thermoelectric materials.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting directly converts solar energy into clean and sustainable hydrogen energy, representing a promising and effective technique for solving the world's energy crisis. A hole transfer layer (HTL) plays a vital role for extracting holes from a semiconductor layer to a back electrode in PEC cells for water splitting. In this work, a TiOx/Sb2Se3/NiOx photocathode was fabricated by using p-NiOx as HTL. We show that the electrical properties of NiOx films can be well adjusted by the pulsed laser deposition technique. By systematically adjusting the electrical properties of the NiOx HTL and passivating the surface defects through coating with the TiOx layer, we achieved a high photocurrent density of up to −18.08 mA cm−2 at 0 V vs a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), an onset potential of 0.43 V vs RHE, and a half-cell solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency of 1.01% for the TiOx/Sb2Se3/NiOx photocathode. This work demonstrated NiOx as a potential hole transport material for a cost-effective Sb2Se3 PEC cell.

The unique liquid nature and strong magnetic response ability enable ferrofluid droplets to split and self-assemble into reconfigurable three-dimensional structures. Although the manipulation of a ferrofluid droplet in a static or quasi-static state has been well studied, the splitting and self-assembly of ferrofluids in a dynamic state remain unexplored. Here, we report the impingement-assisted self-assembly of ferrofluids on superhydrophobic surfaces, whereby the required magnetic field is greatly reduced. In particular, the coupling between the magnetic field strength and Weber number endows a precise regulation of the ferrofluid post-impact dynamics, which facilitates the optimization of the self-assembly behavior. Finally, we demonstrate that the impingement-assisted self-assembly of ferrofluids can be generalized on various surfaces with different wettability. The fundamental understanding and the ability to self-assembly during droplet impingement can provide important insight into the dynamics of ferrofluid droplets as well as the applicability in multifunctional analytical and fluidic devices.

AgCrSe2, which crystallizes in alternative layers of Ag+ and CrSe2− octahedral structure, has shown great potential as good thermoelectric material due to its unique ultralow lattice thermal conductivity. In this work, compound Cr2/3Te is alloyed with the matrix Ag0.97CrSe2 and the carrier concentration ranges within 1018–1020 cm−3, enabling a reliable assessment of transport properties based on single parabolic band model at room temperature. Moreover, homogeneous nanoprecipitate is observed in the matrix for high Cr2/3Te content samples, which leads to the scattering of main heat carrier of long-wavelength phonons, and thus a slight reduction of lattice thermal conductivity (∼0.3 W/m K) compared with intrinsic AgCrSe2. Combined with the optimized carrier concentration and the low lattice thermal conductivity, a figure of merit zT of 0.6 at 650 K is achieved, exceeding other reported AgCrSe2 systems, demonstrating the current Ag0.97CrSe2(Cr2/3Te)x materials as good potential thermoelectrics.

Organic single crystals are highly promising for applications in optoelectronic devices because of their higher mobility and thermal stability than amorphous thin films. Although white organic single crystals have been fabricated by the double-doped method and applied to realize white organic light‐emitting devices (WOLEDs), the unbalanced carrier transport properties of the unipolar crystals severely limit the device performance. Here, ambipolar white organic single crystals are obtained by using mixed p- and n-type molecules as an ambipolar host for the red and green dopants. The white crystal with balanced carrier transport and balanced blue, green, and red emission intensity was applied to the single-crystal WOLEDs. The highest brightness of 1956 cd m−2 and the current efficiency of 1.31 cd A−1 are achieved, which are the best performance of the single-crystal WOLEDs reported to date. A high color rendering index is obtained, which varies between 82 and 87 with increasing driving current. It is expectable that this strategy would support the practical applications of organic single crystal-based OLEDs.