Search

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors are promising candidates for optoelectronic application and quantum information processes due to their inherent out-of-plane 2D confinement. In addition, they offer the possibility of achieving low-dimensional in-plane exciton confinement, similar to zero-dimensional quantum dots, with intriguing optical and electronic properties via strain or composition engineering. However, realizing such laterally confined 2D monolayers and systematically controlling size-dependent optical properties remain significant challenges. Here, we report the observation of lateral confinement of excitons in epitaxially grown in-plane MoSe 2 quantum dots (~15-60 nm wide) inside a continuous matrix of WSe 2 monolayer film via a sequential epitaxial growth process. Various optical spectroscopy techniques reveal the size-dependent exciton confinement in the MoSe 2 monolayer quantum dots with exciton blue shift (12-40 meV) at a low temperature as compared to continuous monolayer MoSe 2 . Finally, single-photon emission (g 2 (0) ~ 0.4) was also observed from the smallest dots at 1.6 K. Our study opens the door to compositionally engineered, tunable, in-plane quantum light sources in 2D semiconductors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Two-dimensional (2D) inorganic/organic hybrids provide a versatile platform for diverse applications, including electronic, catalysis, and energy storage devices. The recent surge in 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has introduced an organic counterpart for the development of advanced 2D organic/inorganic hybrids with improved electronic coupling, charge separation, and carrier mobility. However, existing synthesis methods have primarily focused on few-layered film structures, which limits scalability for practical applications. Herein, we present a general synthesis approach for a range of COF/inorganic 2D material hybrids, utilizing 2D inorganic materials as both catalysts and inorganic building blocks. By leveraging the intrinsic Lewis acid sites on the inorganic 2D materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and transition metal dichalcogenides, COFs with diverse functional groups and topologies can grow on the surface of inorganic 2D materials. The controlled 2D morphology and excellent solution dispersibility of the resulting hybrids allow for easy processing into films through vacuum filtration. As proof of concept, hBN/COF films were employed as filters for Rhodamine 6G removal under flow-through conditions, achieving a removal rate exceeding 93%. The present work provides a simple and versatile synthesis method for the scalable fabrication of COF/inorganic 2D hybrids, offering exciting opportunities for practical applications such as water treatment and energy storage., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Co-published by University of Science and Technology of China and American Chemical Society.)

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) and OECT-based circuitry offer great potential in bioelectronics, wearable electronics and artificial neuromorphic electronics because of their exceptionally low driving voltages (<1 V), low power consumption (<1 µW), high transconductances (>10 mS) and biocompatibility 1-5 . However, the successful realization of critical complementary logic OECTs is currently limited by temporal and/or operational instability, slow redox processes and/or switching, incompatibility with high-density monolithic integration and inferior n-type OECT performance 6-8 . Here we demonstrate p- and n-type vertical OECTs with balanced and ultra-high performance by blending redox-active semiconducting polymers with a redox-inactive photocurable and/or photopatternable polymer to form an ion-permeable semiconducting channel, implemented in a simple, scalable vertical architecture that has a dense, impermeable top contact. Footprint current densities exceeding 1 kA cm -2 at less than ±0.7 V, transconductances of 0.2-0.4 S, short transient times of less than 1 ms and ultra-stable switching (>50,000 cycles) are achieved in, to our knowledge, the first vertically stacked complementary vertical OECT logic circuits. This architecture opens many possibilities for fundamental studies of organic semiconductor redox chemistry and physics in nanoscopically confined spaces, without macroscopic electrolyte contact, as well as wearable and implantable device applications., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The development of high-precision large-area optical coatings and devices comprising low-dimensional materials hinges on scalable solution-based manufacturability with control over exfoliation procedure-dependent effects. As such, it is critical to understand the influence of technique-induced transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) optical properties that impact the design, performance, and integration of advanced optical coatings and devices. Here, we examine the optical properties of semiconducting MoS 2 films from the exfoliation formulations of four prominent approaches: solvent-mediated exfoliation, chemical exfoliation with phase reconversion, redox exfoliation, and native redox exfoliation. The resulting MoS 2 films exhibit distinct refractive indices ( n ), extinction coefficients ( k ), dielectric functions (ε 1 and ε 2 ), and absorption coefficients (α). For example, a large index contrast of Δ n  ≈ 2.3 is observed. These exfoliation procedures and related chemistries produce different exfoliated flake dimensions, chemical impurities, carrier doping, and lattice strain that influence the resulting optical properties. First-principles calculations further confirm the impact of lattice defects and doping characteristics on MoS 2 optical properties. Overall, incomplete phase reconfiguration (from 1T to mixed crystalline 2H and amorphous phases), lattice vacancies, intraflake strain, and Mo oxidation largely contribute to the observed differences in the reported MoS 2 optical properties. These findings highlight the need for controlled technique-induced effects as well as the opportunity for continued development of, and improvement to, liquid phase exfoliation methodologies. Such chemical and processing-induced effects present compelling routes to engineer exfoliated TMDC optical properties toward the development of next-generation high-performance mirrors, narrow bandpass filters, and wavelength-tailored absorbers., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply 2023.)

Since the isolation of graphene in 2004, two-dimensional (2D) materials research has rapidly evolved into an entire subdiscipline in the physical sciences with a wide range of emergent applications. The unique 2D structure offers an open canvas to tailor and functionalize 2D materials through layer number, defects, morphology, moiré pattern, strain, and other control knobs. Through this review, we aim to highlight the most recent discoveries in the following topics: theory-guided synthesis for enhanced control of 2D morphologies, quality, yield, as well as insights toward novel 2D materials; defect engineering to control and understand the role of various defects, including in situ and ex situ methods; and properties and applications that are related to moiré engineering, strain engineering, and artificial intelligence. Finally, we also provide our perspective on the challenges and opportunities in this fascinating field., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The era of two-dimensional (2D) materials, in its current form, truly began at the time that graphene was first isolated just over 15 years ago. Shortly thereafter, the use of 2D hexagonal boron nitride ( h- BN) had expanded in popularity, with use of the thin isolator permeating a significant number of fields in condensed matter and beyond. Due to the impractical nature of cataloguing every use or research pursuit, this review will cover ground in the following three subtopics relevant to this versatile material: growth, electrical measurements, and applications in optics and photonics. Through understanding how the material has been utilized, one may anticipate some of the exciting directions made possible by the research conducted up through the turn of this decade.

Homogeneous monolayer epitaxial graphene (EG) is an ideal candidate for the development of millimeter-sized devices with single-crystal domains. A clean fabrication process was used to produce EG-based devices, with n-type doping level of the order of 10 12 cm -2 . Generally, electrical properties of EG, such as longitudinal resistivity, remain unstable when devices are exposed to air due to adsorption of molecular dopants, whose presence shifts the carrier density close to the Dirac point (<10 10 cm -2 ) or into the p-type regime. Here, we report experimental results on the use of amorphous boron nitride (a-BN) as an encapsulation layer, whereby EG can maintain its longitudinal resistivity and have its carrier density modulated. Furthermore, we exposed 12 devices to controlled temperatures of up to 85 °C and relative humidity of up to 85% and reported that an approximately 20 nm a-BN encapsulation thickness is sufficient to preserve their longitudinal resistivity to within 10% of the previously measured value. We monitored the electronic properties of our encapsulated and nonencapsulated EG samples by magnetotransport measurements, using a neodymium iron boron magnet. Our results have essential importance in the mass production of millimeter-scale graphene devices, with stable electrical properties.