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Electronic textiles (e-textiles), having the capability of interacting with the human body and surroundings, are changing our everyday life in fundamental and meaningful ways. Yet, the expansion of the field of e-textiles is still limited by the lack of stable and biocompatible power sources with aesthetic designs. Here, we report a rechargeable solid-state Zn/MnO2 fiber battery with stable cyclic performance exceeding 500 hours while maintaining 98.0% capacity after more than 1000 charging/recharging cycles. The mechanism of the high electrical and mechanical performance due to the graphene oxide–embedded polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel electrolytes was rationalized by Monte Carlo simulation and finite element analysis. With a collection of key features including thin, light weight, economic, and biocompatible as well as high energy density, the Zn/MnO2 fiber battery could seamlessly be integrated into a multifunctional on-body e-textile, which provides a stable power unit for continuous and simultaneous heart rate, temperature, humidity, and altitude monitoring.

© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Lack of effective strategies to regulate the internal activity of MoS2 limits its practical application for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs). Doping of heteroatoms without forming aggregation or an edge enrichment is still challenging, and its effect on the HER needs to be further explored. Herein, a two-step method is developed to obtain multi-metal-doped H-MoS2, which includes intercalation of the layered MoO3 precursor with a following sulfurization. Benefiting from the capability of the intercalation method to uniformly and simultaneously introduce different elements into the van der Waals gap, this method is universal to obtain multi-heteroatoms co-doped MoS2 without forming clusters, phase separation, and an edge enrichment. It is demonstrated that the doping of adjacent cobalt and palladium monomers on MoS2 greatly enhances the HER catalytic activity. The overpotential at 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of Co and Pd co-doped MoS2 is found to be 49.3 mV and 43.2 mV dec−1, respectively, representing a superior acidic HER catalytic activity. This intercalation-assisted method also provides a new and general strategy to synthesize uniformly doped transition metal dichalcogenides for various applications.

© 2020, Science China Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures based on layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted increasing attention for the applications of the next-generation high-performance integrated electronics and optoelectronics. Although various TMD heterostructures have been successfully fabricated, epitaxial growth of such atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterostructures with a clean and sharp interface is still challenging. In addition, photodetectors based on such heterostructures have seldom been studied. Here, we report the synthesis of high-quality vertical NbS2/MoS2 metallic-semiconductor heterostructures. By using NbS2 as the contact electrodes, the field-effect mobility and current on-off ratio of MoS2 can be improved at least 6-fold and two orders of magnitude compared with the conventional Ti/Au contact, respectively. By using NbS2 as contact, the photodetector performance of MoS2 is much improved with higher responsivity and less response time. Such facile synthesis of atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterostructures by a simple chemical vapor deposition strategy and its effectiveness as ultrathin 2D metal contact open the door for the future application of electronics and optoelectronics.

The physical and chemical properties of transition metal dichalcogenides can be effectively tuned by doping or alloying, which is essential for their practical applications. However, the microstructure evolutions and their effects on the physical properties induced by alloying from hetero-atoms with different outermost electronic structures are still unclear. Here, we synthesized Nb-substituted WS2 with various Nb concentrations showing unusual changes of optical behaviors and continuous electrical polarity reversal. The fully softened Raman mode, rapidly quenched photoluminescence, and severe electron scattering can be attributed to the combined effects of charge doping and lattice strain caused by atomic Nb doping. Three types of substitution modes of Nb atoms in the WS2 lattice were observed directly from atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Density functional theory calculations further confirm the role of lattice strain in the evolutions of optical and electrical characteristics. With increasing Nb concentration, n-type, ambipolar, and p-type field-effect transistors can be achieved, indicating the capacity of this doping method to engineer the properties of two-dimensional materials for future electronic applications.

© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Lack of effective strategies to regulate the internal activity of MoS2 limits its practical application for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs). Doping of heteroatoms without forming aggregation or an edge enrichment is still challenging, and its effect on the HER needs to be further explored. Herein, a two-step method is developed to obtain multi-metal-doped H-MoS2, which includes intercalation of the layered MoO3 precursor with a following sulfurization. Benefiting from the capability of the intercalation method to uniformly and simultaneously introduce different elements into the van der Waals gap, this method is universal to obtain multi-heteroatoms co-doped MoS2 without forming clusters, phase separation, and an edge enrichment. It is demonstrated that the doping of adjacent cobalt and palladium monomers on MoS2 greatly enhances the HER catalytic activity. The overpotential at 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of Co and Pd co-doped MoS2 is found to be 49.3 mV and 43.2 mV dec−1, respectively, representing a superior acidic HER catalytic activity. This intercalation-assisted method also provides a new and general strategy to synthesize uniformly doped transition metal dichalcogenides for various applications.

© 2020, Science China Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures based on layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted increasing attention for the applications of the next-generation high-performance integrated electronics and optoelectronics. Although various TMD heterostructures have been successfully fabricated, epitaxial growth of such atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterostructures with a clean and sharp interface is still challenging. In addition, photodetectors based on such heterostructures have seldom been studied. Here, we report the synthesis of high-quality vertical NbS2/MoS2 metallic-semiconductor heterostructures. By using NbS2 as the contact electrodes, the field-effect mobility and current on-off ratio of MoS2 can be improved at least 6-fold and two orders of magnitude compared with the conventional Ti/Au contact, respectively. By using NbS2 as contact, the photodetector performance of MoS2 is much improved with higher responsivity and less response time. Such facile synthesis of atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterostructures by a simple chemical vapor deposition strategy and its effectiveness as ultrathin 2D metal contact open the door for the future application of electronics and optoelectronics.

The physical and chemical properties of transition metal dichalcogenides can be effectively tuned by doping or alloying, which is essential for their practical applications. However, the microstructure evolutions and their effects on the physical properties induced by alloying from hetero-atoms with different outermost electronic structures are still unclear. Here, we synthesized Nb-substituted WS2 with various Nb concentrations showing unusual changes of optical behaviors and continuous electrical polarity reversal. The fully softened Raman mode, rapidly quenched photoluminescence, and severe electron scattering can be attributed to the combined effects of charge doping and lattice strain caused by atomic Nb doping. Three types of substitution modes of Nb atoms in the WS2 lattice were observed directly from atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Density functional theory calculations further confirm the role of lattice strain in the evolutions of optical and electrical characteristics. With increasing Nb concentration, n-type, ambipolar, and p-type field-effect transistors can be achieved, indicating the capacity of this doping method to engineer the properties of two-dimensional materials for future electronic applications.

© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Lack of effective strategies to regulate the internal activity of MoS2 limits its practical application for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs). Doping of heteroatoms without forming aggregation or an edge enrichment is still challenging, and its effect on the HER needs to be further explored. Herein, a two-step method is developed to obtain multi-metal-doped H-MoS2, which includes intercalation of the layered MoO3 precursor with a following sulfurization. Benefiting from the capability of the intercalation method to uniformly and simultaneously introduce different elements into the van der Waals gap, this method is universal to obtain multi-heteroatoms co-doped MoS2 without forming clusters, phase separation, and an edge enrichment. It is demonstrated that the doping of adjacent cobalt and palladium monomers on MoS2 greatly enhances the HER catalytic activity. The overpotential at 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of Co and Pd co-doped MoS2 is found to be 49.3 mV and 43.2 mV dec−1, respectively, representing a superior acidic HER catalytic activity. This intercalation-assisted method also provides a new and general strategy to synthesize uniformly doped transition metal dichalcogenides for various applications.

© 2020, Science China Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures based on layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted increasing attention for the applications of the next-generation high-performance integrated electronics and optoelectronics. Although various TMD heterostructures have been successfully fabricated, epitaxial growth of such atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterostructures with a clean and sharp interface is still challenging. In addition, photodetectors based on such heterostructures have seldom been studied. Here, we report the synthesis of high-quality vertical NbS2/MoS2 metallic-semiconductor heterostructures. By using NbS2 as the contact electrodes, the field-effect mobility and current on-off ratio of MoS2 can be improved at least 6-fold and two orders of magnitude compared with the conventional Ti/Au contact, respectively. By using NbS2 as contact, the photodetector performance of MoS2 is much improved with higher responsivity and less response time. Such facile synthesis of atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterostructures by a simple chemical vapor deposition strategy and its effectiveness as ultrathin 2D metal contact open the door for the future application of electronics and optoelectronics.

The physical and chemical properties of transition metal dichalcogenides can be effectively tuned by doping or alloying, which is essential for their practical applications. However, the microstructure evolutions and their effects on the physical properties induced by alloying from hetero-atoms with different outermost electronic structures are still unclear. Here, we synthesized Nb-substituted WS2 with various Nb concentrations showing unusual changes of optical behaviors and continuous electrical polarity reversal. The fully softened Raman mode, rapidly quenched photoluminescence, and severe electron scattering can be attributed to the combined effects of charge doping and lattice strain caused by atomic Nb doping. Three types of substitution modes of Nb atoms in the WS2 lattice were observed directly from atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Density functional theory calculations further confirm the role of lattice strain in the evolutions of optical and electrical characteristics. With increasing Nb concentration, n-type, ambipolar, and p-type field-effect transistors can be achieved, indicating the capacity of this doping method to engineer the properties of two-dimensional materials for future electronic applications.

The physical and chemical properties of transition metal dichalcogenides can be effectively tuned by doping or alloying, which is essential for their practical applications. However, the microstructure evolutions and their effects on the physical properties induced by alloying from hetero-atoms with different outermost electronic structures are still unclear. Here, we synthesized Nb-substituted WS2 with various Nb concentrations showing unusual changes of optical behaviors and continuous electrical polarity reversal. The fully softened Raman mode, rapidly quenched photoluminescence, and severe electron scattering can be attributed to the combined effects of charge doping and lattice strain caused by atomic Nb doping. Three types of substitution modes of Nb atoms in the WS2 lattice were observed directly from atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Density functional theory calculations further confirm the role of lattice strain in the evolutions of optical and electrical characteristics. With increasing Nb concentration, n-type, ambipolar, and p-type field-effect transistors can be achieved, indicating the capacity of this doping method to engineer the properties of two-dimensional materials for future electronic applications.

© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Lack of effective strategies to regulate the internal activity of MoS2 limits its practical application for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs). Doping of heteroatoms without forming aggregation or an edge enrichment is still challenging, and its effect on the HER needs to be further explored. Herein, a two-step method is developed to obtain multi-metal-doped H-MoS2, which includes intercalation of the layered MoO3 precursor with a following sulfurization. Benefiting from the capability of the intercalation method to uniformly and simultaneously introduce different elements into the van der Waals gap, this method is universal to obtain multi-heteroatoms co-doped MoS2 without forming clusters, phase separation, and an edge enrichment. It is demonstrated that the doping of adjacent cobalt and palladium monomers on MoS2 greatly enhances the HER catalytic activity. The overpotential at 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of Co and Pd co-doped MoS2 is found to be 49.3 mV and 43.2 mV dec−1, respectively, representing a superior acidic HER catalytic activity. This intercalation-assisted method also provides a new and general strategy to synthesize uniformly doped transition metal dichalcogenides for various applications.

© 2020, Science China Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures based on layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted increasing attention for the applications of the next-generation high-performance integrated electronics and optoelectronics. Although various TMD heterostructures have been successfully fabricated, epitaxial growth of such atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterostructures with a clean and sharp interface is still challenging. In addition, photodetectors based on such heterostructures have seldom been studied. Here, we report the synthesis of high-quality vertical NbS2/MoS2 metallic-semiconductor heterostructures. By using NbS2 as the contact electrodes, the field-effect mobility and current on-off ratio of MoS2 can be improved at least 6-fold and two orders of magnitude compared with the conventional Ti/Au contact, respectively. By using NbS2 as contact, the photodetector performance of MoS2 is much improved with higher responsivity and less response time. Such facile synthesis of atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterostructures by a simple chemical vapor deposition strategy and its effectiveness as ultrathin 2D metal contact open the door for the future application of electronics and optoelectronics.

Prominent resonance Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopic differences between AA' and AB stacked bilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) grown by chemical vapor deposition are reported. Bilayer MoS2 islands consisting of the two stacking orders were obtained under identical growth conditions. Resonance Raman and photoluminescence spectra of AA' and AB stacked bilayer MoS2 were obtained on Au nanopyramid surfaces under strong plasmon resonance. Both resonance Raman and photoluminescence spectra show distinct features indicating clear differences in interlayer interaction between these two phases. The implication of these findings on device applications based on spin and valley degrees of freedom will be discussed.

Prominent resonance Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopic differences between AA' and AB stacked bilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) grown by chemical vapor deposition are reported. Bilayer MoS2 islands consisting of the two stacking orders were obtained under identical growth conditions. Resonance Raman and photoluminescence spectra of AA' and AB stacked bilayer MoS2 were obtained on Au nanopyramid surfaces under strong plasmon resonance. Both resonance Raman and photoluminescence spectra show distinct features indicating clear differences in interlayer interaction between these two phases. The implication of these findings on device applications based on spin and valley degrees of freedom will be discussed.

The isolation of the two-dimensional semiconductor molybdenum disulphide introduced a new optically active material possessing a band gap that can be facilely tuned via elastic strain. As an atomically thin membrane with exceptional strength, monolayer molybdenum disulphide subjected to biaxial strain can embed wide band gap variations overlapping the visible light spectrum, with calculations showing the modified electronic potential emanating from point-induced tensile strain perturbations mimics the Coulomb potential in a mesoscopic atom. Here we realize and confirm this ‘artificial atom’ concept via capillary-pressure-induced nanoindentation of monolayer molybdenum disulphide from a tailored nanopattern, and demonstrate that a synthetic superlattice of these building blocks forms an optoelectronic crystal capable of broadband light absorption and efficient funnelling of photogenerated excitons to points of maximum strain at the artificial-atom nuclei. Such two-dimensional semiconductors with spatially textured band gaps represent a new class of materials, which may find applications in next-generation optoelectronics or photovoltaics., Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (2013 Global Research Outreach Program Award IC2012-1318), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CBET-1240696), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (DMR-1120901)

Various two-dimensional (2D) materials have recently attracted great attention owing to their unique properties and wide application potential in electronics, catalysis, energy storage, and conversion. However, large-scale production of ultrathin sheets and functional nanosheets remains a scientific and engineering challenge. Here we demonstrate an efficient approach for large-scale production of V2O5 nanosheets having a thickness of 4 nm and utilization as building blocks for constructing 3D architectures via a freeze-drying process. The resulting highly flexible V2O5 structures possess a surface area of 133 m(2) g(-1), ultrathin walls, and multilevel pores. Such unique features are favorable for providing easy access of the electrolyte to the structure when they are used as a supercapacitor electrode, and they also provide a large electroactive surface that advantageous in energy storage applications. As a consequence, a high specific capacitance of 451 F g(-1) is achieved in a neutral aqueous Na2SO4 electrolyte as the 3D architectures are utilized for energy storage. Remarkably, the capacitance retention after 4000 cycles is more than 90%, and the energy density is up to 107 W.h.kg(-1) at a high power density of 9.4 kW kg(-1).

Various two-dimensional (2D) materials have recently attracted great attention owing to their unique properties and wide application potential in electronics, catalysis, energy storage, and conversion. However, large-scale production of ultrathin sheets and functional nanosheets remains a scientific and engineering challenge. Here we demonstrate an efficient approach for large-scale production of V2O5 nanosheets having a thickness of 4 nm and utilization as building blocks for constructing 3D architectures via a freeze-drying process. The resulting highly flexible V2O5 structures possess a surface area of 133 m(2) g(-1), ultrathin walls, and multilevel pores. Such unique features are favorable for providing easy access of the electrolyte to the structure when they are used as a supercapacitor electrode, and they also provide a large electroactive surface that advantageous in energy storage applications. As a consequence, a high specific capacitance of 451 F g(-1) is achieved in a neutral aqueous Na2SO4 electrolyte as the 3D architectures are utilized for energy storage. Remarkably, the capacitance retention after 4000 cycles is more than 90%, and the energy density is up to 107 W.h.kg(-1) at a high power density of 9.4 kW kg(-1).