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Two-dimensional (2D) materials, which exhibit planar-wafer technique compatibility and pure electrically triggered communication, have established themselves as potential candidates in neuromorphic architecture integration. However, the current 2D artificial synapses are mainly realized at a single-device level, where the development of 2D scalable synaptic arrays with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor compatibility remains challenging. Here, we report a 2D transition metal dichalcogenide-based synaptic array fabricated on commercial silicon-rich silicon nitride (sr-SiNx) substrate. The array demonstrates uniform performance with sufficiently high analogue on/off ratio and linear conductance update, and low cycle-to-cycle variability (1.5%) and device-to-device variability (5.3%), which are essential for neuromorphic hardware implementation. On the basis of the experimental data, we further prove that the artificial synapses can achieve a recognition accuracy of 91% on the MNIST handwritten data set. Our findings offer a simple approach to achieve 2D synaptic arrays by using an industry-compatible sr-SiNx dielectric, promoting a brand-new paradigm of 2D materials in neuromorphic computing.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been rapidly established as promising building blocks for versatile atomic scale circuits and multifunctional devices. However, the high contact resistance in TMDs based transistors seriously hinders their applications in complementary electronics. In this work, we show that an Ohmic homojunction n-type tungsten diselenide (WSe2) transistor is realized through spatially controlling cesium (Cs) doping region near the contacts. We find that the remarkable electron doping effect of Cs stimulates a semiconductor to metal (2H to 1T’) phase transition in WSe2, and hence the formation of 2H-1T’ hetero-phase contact. Our method significantly optimizes the WSe2 transport behavior with a perfect low subthreshold swing of ∼ 61 mV/dec and ultrahigh current on/off ratio exceeding ∼ 109. Meanwhile, the electron mobility is enhanced by nearly 50 times. We elucidate that the ideal n-type behavior originates from the negligible Schottky barrier height of ∼ 19 meV and low contact resistance of ∼ 0.9 kΩ·µm in the 2H-1T’ homojunction device. Moreover, based on the Ohmic hetero-phase configuration, a WSe2 inverter is achieved with a high gain of ∼ 270 and low power consumption of ∼ 28 pW. Our findings envision Cs functionalization as an effective method to realize ideal Ohmic contact in 2D WSe2 transistors towards high performance complementary electronic devices.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an acute hypoxic respiratory insufficiency caused by various intra- and extrapulmonary injury factors. Presently, excessive inflammation in the lung and the apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells are considered to be the key factors in the pathogenesis of ALI. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is an oxygen-dependent conversion activator that is closely related to the activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS). HIF-1 has been shown to play an important role in ALI and can be used as a potential therapeutic target for ALI. This manuscript will introduce the progress of HIF-1 in ALI and explore the feasibility of applying inhibitors of HIF-1 to ALI, which brings hope for the treatment of ALI.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have been a central focus for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics owing to their great potential to extend the scaling limits in a silicon transistor. However, due to the lack of surface dangling bonds in most 2D semiconductors, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), the direct growth of the high-κ film on these 2D materials via an atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique often produces dielectrics with poor quality, which hinders their integration in the modern semiconductor industry. Here, we comprehensively investigate the ALD growth of the Al2O3 layer on 2D exfoliated black phosphorus (BP). Intriguingly, we found that the 2D BP with "silicon-like" characteristics possesses a native surface oxide layer PxOy after air exposure. The PxOy-induced surface dangling bonds enable the spontaneous integration of the high-quality Al2O3 layer on the BP flake without any pretreatments to functionalize the surface. Additionally, the Al2O3 layer could effectively passivate BP to prevent its degradation in ambient conditions, which addresses the most serious problem of the BP material. Moreover, the Al2O3-encapsulated BP field-effect transistor (FET) exhibits good electrical transport performance, with a high hole mobility of ∼420 cm2 V-1 s-1 and electron mobility of ∼80 cm2 V-1 s-1. Moreover, the high-quality Al2O3 layer can also be integrated into the top-gated BP transistor and inverter. Our findings reveal the silicon-like characteristics of BP for the high-κ ALD dielectric growth technology, which promises the seamless integration of 2D BP in the modern semiconductor industry.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials, albeit promising candidates for applications in electronics and optoelectronics1-3, are still limited by their low electrical mobility under ambient conditions. Efforts to improve device performance through a variety of routes, such as modification of contact metals4 and gate dielectrics5-9 or encapsulation in hexagonal boron nitride10, have yielded limited success at room temperature. Here, we report a large increase in the performance of TMD field-effect transistors operating under ambient conditions, achieved by engineering the substrate's surface morphology. For MoS2 transistors fabricated on crested substrates, we observed an almost two orders of magnitude increase in carrier mobility compared to standard devices, as well as very high saturation currents. The mechanical strain in TMDs has been predicted to boost carrier mobility11, and has been shown to influence the local bandgap12,13 and quantum emission properties14 of TMDs. With comprehensive investigation of different dielectric environments and morphologies, we demonstrate that the substrate's increased corrugation, with its resulting strain field, is the dominant factor driving performance enhancement. This strategy is universally valid for other semiconducting TMD materials, either p-doped or n-doped, opening them up for applications in heterogeneous integrated electronics.

Structures determine properties of materials, and controllable phase transitions are, therefore, highly desirable for exploring exotic physics and fabricating devices. We report a direct observation of a controllable semiconductor–metal phase transition in bilayer tungsten diselenide (WSe2) with potassium (K) surface functionalization. Through the integration of in situ field-effect transistors, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, and first-principles calculations, we identify that the electron doping from K adatoms drives bilayer WSe2 from a 2H phase semiconductor to a 1T′ phase metal. The phase transition mechanism is satisfactorily explained by the electronic structures and energy alignment of the 2H and 1T′ phases. This explanation can be generally applied to understand doping-induced phase transitions in two-dimensional (2D) structures. Finally, the associated dramatic changes of electronic structures and electrical conductance make this controllable...

Black phosphorus (BP) shows great potential in electronic and optoelectronic devices owing to its semiconducting properties, such as thickness-dependent direct bandgap and ambipolar transport characteristics. However, the poor stability of BP in air seriously limits its practical applications. To develop effective schemes to protect BP, it is crucial to reveal the degradation mechanism under various environments. To date, it is generally accepted that BP degrades in air via light-induced oxidation. Herein, we report a new degradation channel via water-catalyzed oxidation of BP in the dark. When oxygen co-adsorbs with highly polarized water molecules on BP surface, the polarization effect of water can significantly lower the energy levels of oxygen (i.e. enhanced electron affinity), thereby facilitating the electron transfer from BP to oxygen to trigger the BP oxidation even in the dark environment. This new degradation mechanism lays important foundation for the development of proper protecting schemes in black phosphorus-based devices.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted enormous research interests and efforts towards the development of versatile electronic and optical devices, owing to their extraordinary and unique fundamental properties and remarkable prospects in nanoelectronic applications. Among the TMDs, tungsten diselenide (WSe2) exhibits tunable ambipolar transport characteristics and superior optical properties such as high quantum efficiency. Herein, we demonstrate significant enhancement in the device performance of WSe2 phototransistor by in situ surface functionalization with cesium carbonate (Cs2CO3). WSe2 was found to be strongly doped with electrons after Cs2CO3 modification. The electron mobility of WSe2 increased by almost one order of magnitude after surface functionalization with 1.6-nm-thick Cs2CO3 decoration. Furthermore, the photocurrent of the WSe2-based phototransistor increased by nearly three orders of magnitude with the deposition of 1.6-nm-thick Cs2CO3. Characterizations by in situ photoelectron spectroscopy techniques confirmed the significant surface charge transfer occurring at the Cs2CO3/WSe2 interface. Our findings coupled with the tunable nature of the surface transfer doping method establish WSe2 as a promising candidate for future 2D materialsbased optoelectronic devices.

An improved hot-press method with the sintering temperature just beneath the melting point of copper was applied to prepare copper matrix composites. Cu-based hybrid composites reinforced with most TiB2 particles and a small amount of TiB whisker have been in-situ synthesized from the primary Cu, Ti (or TiH2) and B powder mixtures. The reinforcement in TiB2(-TiB)/Cu composites often appears as bubble-like cluster, which is believed to result from the local melting of Cu-Ti intermetallic compound forming in pre-sintering stage. Subsequently, the formation mechanism of the reinforcement was identified as the in-situ reaction occurring at the original site of Ti (or TiH2) by diffusing B from Cu matrix into Cu-Ti liquids. As compared with Cu-Ti-B system, the composites fabricated from Cu-TiH2-B powder mixture have more favorable microstructures and thus better overall performance.

Optoelectronic memory plays a vital role in modern semiconductor industry. The fast emerging requirements for device miniaturization and structural flexibility have diverted research interest to two-dimensional thin layered materials. Here, we report a multibit nonvolatile optoelectronic memory based on a heterostructure of monolayer tungsten diselenide and few-layer hexagonal boron nitride. The tungsten diselenide/boron nitride memory exhibits a memory switching ratio approximately 1.1 × 106, which ensures over 128 (7 bit) distinct storage states. The memory demonstrates robustness with retention time over 4.5 × 104 s. Moreover, the ability of broadband spectrum distinction enables its application in filter-free color image sensor. This concept is further validated through the realization of integrated tungsten diselenide/boron nitride pixel matrix which captured a specific image recording the three primary colors (red, green, and blue). The heterostructure architecture is also applicable to other two-dimensional materials, which is confirmed by the realization of black phosphorus/boron nitride optoelectronic memory., Continued device miniaturization and feasibility of integrating two-dimensional materials into circuits have enabled flexible and transparent optoelectronic memories. Here, the authors show a WSe2–hBN-based heterostructure memory with switching ratio of ~1.1 × 106, ensuring over 128 distinct storage states and retention time of ~4.5 × 104 s.

Two-dimensional black phosphorus configured field-effect transistor devices generally show a hole-dominated ambipolar transport characteristic, thereby limiting its applications in complementary electronics. Herein, we demonstrate an effective surface functionalization scheme on few-layer black phosphorus, through in situ surface modification with potassium, with a view toward high performance complementary device applications. Potassium induces a giant electron doping effect on black phosphorus along with a clear bandgap reduction, which is further corroborated by in situ photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations. The electron mobility of black phosphorus is significantly enhanced to 262 (377) cm2 V–1 s–1 by over 1 order of magnitude after potassium modification for two-terminal (four-terminal) measurements. Using lithography technique, a spatially controlled potassium doping technique is developed to establish high-performance complementary devices on a single black phosphorus nanosheet, for example,...

Planar chiral ferrocenes 1 and its diastereoisomer 2 were found to be good lig-ands for. the ruthenium catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones with i-PrOH as hydrogen source under refluxing in the presence of sodium hydroxide. The results showed that the absolute configuration of alcohol seemed to be governed by the central chirality in the oxazoline ring instead of the planar chirality. At a ratio of 1:2 for Ru:ligand, 3000:1 S/C and >100,000/h−1 TOF were observed for acetophenone. For propiophenone 99% yield and 85% e.e. were obtained.

In the classical planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the electron conducting TiO2 layer shows lower conductivity than the hole transporting materials such as spiro-OMeTAD, which becomes one of the key problems in improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs. In this study, the surface of compact TiO2 layer is modified by a thin self-assembled dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) molecular layer. The TiO2 substrates are immersed into the DDDA solution for 0.5, 2.5, 4.5, 22 h, respectively. It is found that the PCE of PSCs is improved when using the DDDA modified TiO2, showing optimized PCE of 15.35%0.75% under AM 1.5G illumination at 100 mWcm-2 after 4.5 h modification. The short current density (JSC) of the best device is improved from 20.34 mA cm-2 to 23.28 mA cm-2, with the PCE increasing from 14.17% to 15.92%. And it is found that the hysteresis of the PSC is also reduced remarkably with hysteresis index decreasing from 0.4288 to 0.2430. In the meantime, the device with DDDA modification shows a significant improvement in light stability, keeping 71% of its initial PCE value after 720 min exposure under AM 1.5G illumination at 100 mW cm-2 without encapsulation. As a contrast, the device without DDDA modification keeps 59% of its initial PCE value under the same condition. To reveal the mechanism, we investigate the surface energy level change using ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. It is found that after DDDA modification, the valence-band maximum energy (EVBM) of TiO2 decreases from -7.25 eV to -7.32 eV, and the conduction-band minimum energy (ECBM) of TiO2 from -4.05 eV to -4.12 eV. The shifting of energy level optimizes the energy level alignment at the interface between the TiO2 and perovskite. It promotes the transport of electrons from perovskite layer to compact TiO2 layer and obstructs the transport of holes from perovskite layer to compact TiO2 layer more effectively. In addition, the decrease of ECBM implies the increase of conductivity of TiO2. We further design a series of electrical experiments, and confirm that the modification improves the conductivity of TiO2 obviously with both contact resistance and thin-film resistance decreasing. In summary, our results indicate the enormous potential of the compact TiO2 layer with a thin self-assembled DDDA molecular layer modification to construct efficient and stable planar heterojunction PSCs for practical applications.

Using in situ field effect transistor (FET) characterization combined with the molecular beam epitaxy technique, we demonstrate a significant depletion of electron charge carriers in single zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire through the surface modification with molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) and 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11-hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile (HATCN) layers. The electron mobility of ZnO nanowire was found to sharply decrease after the surface modification with MoO3; in contrast, the electron mobility significantly increased after functionalization with HATCN layers. Such depletion of n-type conduction originates from the interfacial charge transfer, corroborated by in situ photoelectron spectroscopy studies. The air exposure effect on MoO(3-) and HATCN-coated ZnO nanowire devices was also investigated.

2D black phosphorus configured field-effect transistors generally show a hole-transport-dominated ambipolar characteristic, owing to the severely restricted electron mobility by air ambient. Here, we demonstrate the strongly modulated mobility of few-layer black phosphorus in contact with oxygen. Pure oxygen exposure can dramatically decrease the electron mobility of black phosphorus by over three orders of magnitudes without degrading the hole transport. In situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization reveals the physisorption nature of oxygen on black phosphorus. Density functional theory calculations identify the unoccupied states of molecular oxygen physisorbed on few-layer black phosphorus, that serves as electron trap but not as hole trap, consistent with the aforementioned mobility modulation. In contrast, oxygen exposure upon light illumination exhibits a significant attenuation for both electron and hole transport, originating from the photoactivated oxidation of black phosphorus, as corroborated by in situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Our findings clarify the predominant role of oxygen in modulating transport properties of black phosphorus, thereby providing deeper insight to the design of black phosphorus based complementary electronics.

Black phosphorus, a fast emerging two-dimensional material, has been configured as field effect transistors, showing a hole-transport-dominated ambipolar characteristic. Here we report an effective modulation on ambipolar characteristics of few-layer black phosphorus transistors through in situ surface functionalization with caesium carbonate (Cs2CO3) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO3), respectively. Cs2CO3 is found to strongly electron dope black phosphorus. The electron mobility of black phosphorus is significantly enhanced to similar to 27 cm(2)V(-1) s(-1) after 10 nm Cs2CO3 modification, indicating a greatly improved electron-transport behaviour. In contrast, MoO3 decoration demonstrates a giant hole-doping effect. In situ photoelectron spectroscopy characterization reveals significant surface charge transfer occurring at the dopants/black phosphorus interfaces. Moreover, the surface-doped black phosphorus devices exhibit a largely enhanced photodetection behaviour. Our findings coupled with the tunable nature of the surface transfer doping scheme ensure black phosphorus as a promising candidate for further complementary logic electronics.

Molybdenum oxides have been widely investigated for their broad applications ranging from electronics to energy storage. Photodetectors based on molybdenum trioxide (MoO3), however, were seldom reported owing to their low conductivity and weak photoresponse. Herein we report a photodetector based on single MoO3 nanobelt with wide visible spectrum response by introducing substantial gap states via H2 annealing. The pristine MoO3 nanobelt possessed low electrical conductance and no photoresponse for nearly all visible lights. The H2 annealing can significantly improve the conductance of MoO3 nanobelt and result in a good photodetector with wide visible spectrum response. Under illumination of 680 nm light, the photodetector exhibited high responsivity of ~56 A/W and external quantum efficiency of ~10200%. As corroborated by in situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations, such strong wide spectrum photoresponse arises from the largely enriched gap states in the MoO3 nanobelt after H2 annealing.

We report effective and stable electron doping of monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) by cesium carbonate (Cs2CO3) surface functionalization. The electron charge carrier concentration in exfoliated monolayer MoS2 can be increased by about 9 times after Cs2CO3 functionalization. The n-type doping effect was evaluated by in situ transport measurements of MoS2 field-effect transistors (FETs) and further corroborated by in situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman scattering measurements. The electron doping enhances the formation of negative trions (i.e., a quasiparticle comprising two electrons and one hole) in monolayer MoS2 under light irradiation and significantly reduces the charge recombination of photoexcited electron–hole pairs. This results in large photoluminescence suppression and an obvious photocurrent enhancement in monolayer MoS2 FETs.

To improve the specific capacitance and rate capability of electrode material for supercapacitors, a three-dimensional graphene/polyaniline (3DGN/PANI) composite is prepared via in situ polymerization on GN hydrogel. PANI grows on the GN surface as a thin film, and its content in the composite is controlled by the concentration of the reaction monomer. The specific capacitance of the 3DGN/PANI composite containing 10 wt% PANI reaches 322.8 Fg−1 at a current density of 1 Ag−1, nearly twice as large as that of the pure 3DGN (162.8 Fg−1). The capacitance of the composite is 307.9 Fg−1 at 30 Ag−1 (maintaining 95.4%), and 89% retention after 500 cycles. This study demonstrates the exciting potential of 3DGN/PANI with high capacitance, excellent rate capability and long cycling life for supercapacitors.

By using in situ field effect transistor characterization integrated with molecular beam epitaxy technique, we demonstrate the strong surface transfer p-type doping effect of single layer chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene, through the surface functionalization of molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) layer. After doping, both the hole and electron mobility of CVD graphene are nearly retained, resulting in significant enhancement of graphene conductivity. With coating of 10 nm MoO3, the conductivity of CVD graphene can be increased by about 7 times, showing promising application for graphene based electronics and transparent, conducting, and flexible electrodes.