Developing a precise and reproducible bandgap-tuning method that enables tailored design of materials is of crucial importance for optoelectronic devices. Toward this end, we report a sphere diameter engineering (SDE) technique to manipulate the bandgap of two-dimensional materials. This SDE technique showing good precision, uniformity, and reproducibility with high efficiency may further accelerate the potential applications of 2D materials.
We develop a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method to construct the 2D room-temperature magnetic MnGa4-H crystal with a thickness down to 2.2 nm. Hydrogen insertion inside the MnGa4 lattice can modulate the atomic distance and charge state, thereby ferrimagnetism can be achieved without destroying the structural configuration. 2D MnGa4-H crystal is high-quality and air-stable, demonstrating robust and stable room-temperature magnetism with a high Curie temperature above 620 K.
For the first time, we demonstrate a chemical potential-modulated strategy to realize the precise synthesis of various ultrahigh-phase-purity (approximately 100%) ultrathin TMB single crystals, and the precision in the phase formation energy can reach as low as 0.01 eV per atom. The ultrathin MoB2 single crystals exhibit an ultrahigh Young’s modulus of 517 GPa compared to other 2D materials.
In this review, we present a systematic and comprehensive overview of the structure modulation of TMDs, including point, linear and out-of plane structures, following and updating the conventional classification for silicon and related bulk semiconductors. Finally, we demonstrate challenges and prospects in the structure modulation of TMDs and forecast potential directions about what and how breakthroughs can be achieved.
This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in the facet engineering of 2D materials, ranging from a basic understanding of facets and the corresponding approaches and the significance of facet engineering. We also propose current challenges and forecast future development directions including the establishment of a facet database, the fabrication of new 2D materials, the design of specific substrates, and the introduction of theoretical calculations and in situ characterization techniques.
It is crucial to understand and conclude the process of 2D material design and synthesis from chemical insights to further research the intrinsic quantum physics and better explore potential properties and applications of 2D quantum materials. In this review, we first summarize the recent advance of 2D quantum phenomena, then give the universal design paradigm from two aspects: element-dependence and phase-dependence, at last we propose different synthesis resolutions. We also summarize the challenges in this area and put forward feasible solution.
Liquid metals (LMs) with good biosafety, deformability, functionalizability and stimulus responsiveness have great potential in biomedicine. In this review, the advantages of LMs are presented. Recent advances in the design and application of LM-based biomaterials are comprehensively summarized to provide deep insights into structure-property relationships and guide their on-demand design and performance optimization for therapeutics, bioimaging, biosensors, and tissue repair.
We report a design strategy, namely “dual self-built gating” to boost hydrogen evolution reaction. Taking ReS2 and WS2 as an example, the dual self-built gating induces electrons from WS2 to ReS2 directionally. The tailored electronic structure can balance the adsorption of intermediates and desorption of hydrogen synergistically, thus greatly promoting the intrinsic activity of active sites.
The universal growth of ultrathin perovskite single crystals is realized by designing an oriented solvent microenvironment induced by the interfacial electric field originated from the charge separation between solid and liquid phases. Such a strategy can fabricate a wide range of high-quality ultrathin perovskites single crystals, from layered to non-layered, organic to inorganic, and toxic to low-toxic lead-free perovskite. Notably, the realization of high quality and diversity of ultrathin perovskites will facilitate both fundamental studies and optoelectronic applications.
We present an Au-assisted chemical vapor deposition approach to selectively form SW and S2W antisite defects, whereby one or two sulfur atoms substitute for a tungsten atom in WS2 monolayers. Guided by first-principles calculations, they describe a new method that can maintain tungsten-poor growth conditions relative to sulfur via the low solubility of W atoms in a gold/W alloy, thereby significantly reducing the formation energy of the antisite defects during the growth of WS2.
We demonstrated that single crystallinity can be totally maintained even through dramatic structural changes, which only requires several seconds. Ultrathin 2D single crystals can be obtained by our strategy, which is difficult for traditional methods. This discovery illustrates the possibility of transforming from 3D frameworks to 2D inorganic single crystals, vastly expanding the research scope of the SCSC transformation.
We report the preparation of 2D materials with tunable interlayer spacing by introducing active sites (Ce ions) in 2D materials to capture and immobilize Pt single atoms. The strong chemical interaction between active sites and Pt atoms contributes to the intercalation behavior of Pt atoms in the interlayer of 2D materials and further promotes the formation of chemical bonding between Pt atom and host materials. Taking cerium-embedded molybdenum disulfide as an example, intercalation of Pt atoms enables interlayer distance tuning via an electrochemical protocol, leading to interlayer spacing reversible and linear compression and expansion.
We achieved the synthesis of a wide variety of high-quality 2D rare-earth oxides (REO) single crystals with tailorable facets via designing a hard-soft-acid-base couple. Also, the facet-related magnetic properties of 2D REO single crystals were revealed. Our approach provides a foundation for further exploring other facet-dependent properties and various applications of 2D REO and an inspiration for the precise growth of other non-layered 2D materials as well.
This Account aims to focus on the controllable fabrication of 2D materials and functional composite materials by liquid metals. Based on the characteristics of the surface layering and solidification, and excellent fluidity, the self-limited growth and ordered arrangement of 2D materials on liquid metal surfaces can be achieved, which enriches the material structures and leads to new properties.
Recent Advances in the fabrication of 2DMOs via liquid metals are comprehensively reviewed. The introduction of progress in fabricating 2DMOs by virtue of the features of liquid metals improves diversity in the developments and applications of 2DMOs. The current challenges concerning the fabrication of 2DMOs are discussed to promote future research.
The surface of liquid metals plays a critical role in establishing thermodynamic equilibria (both mass and energy) at the interface between liquid metal and air. The exploration on the surface structure and electronic property of liquid metals triggers a new field of liquid metal surface chemistry system, which is indispensable for researching scientific phenomena and developing practical technologies.
Ultra-thin III–V semiconductors, which exhibit intriguing characteristics, such as two-dimensional (2D) electron gas, enhanced electron-hole interaction strength, and strongly polarized light emission, have always been anticipated in future electronics. We report the growth of a majority of ultra-thin III–V single crystals, ranging from ultra-narrow to wide bandgap semiconductors, through enhancing the interfacial interaction between the III–V crystals and the growth substrates to proceed the 2D layer-by-layer growth mode.
With periodic moiré patterns, moiré superlattices can induce structural altering and band transformations, resulting in new phenomena including moiré phonons, moiré exitons, topological phase transition, unconventional superconducting or Mott insulating. The review will introduce the origin and the modulation of moiré superlattices, and summarize several series of new properties discovered in 2D layered materials.
The ultrathin oxide nanosheets obtained through previous approaches usually exhibit amorphism or polycrystallinity, which limit their properties towards electronic devices. Here, we synthesize ultrathin antimony oxide single crystals with high dielectric constant (~100) and large breakdown voltage (~5.7 GV m−1).
A Ga-based defense layer (GDL) was proposed to protect lithium anodes during long-term cycling by touch-ablation of dendrites. Once dendrites pierce into the GDL, liquid metal will be activated to eliminate uneven deposited Li, stopping upward growth of dendrites. Embrittlement phenomenon, for the first time, was used to suppress dendrites.
Phase engineering of high-entropy alloys is comprehensively reviewed. HEAs with rich constituent elements exhibit many remarkable properties which are greatly influenced by phase structure. For further exploring the property of HEAs, the controllable synthesis with desired phases is highly required. The diverse phase structures, phase tuning strategies, and property adjusting of phase-engineered HEAs will be presented and discussed in depth.
While immersed in science fiction movies and novels, we marvel at the wild imagination. In fact, there are certain scientific principles in these artistic representations. Liquid functional materials open up new perspectives for our understanding of this fluid world. This opinion briefly discussed the fact that liquid functional materials offer unlimited possibilities, including preparation of new materials, biomedicine, self-healing, sensing, artificial intelligence, etc., in a variety of frontier fields.
We present a precise bottom-up synthesis strategy for obtaining 2D ultrathin interlayer-bonding-layered single crystals via the design of a molecular scaffold. We took Mo2GaC, a typical kind of MAX phase, as an example. We preset a precise molecular scaffold-an ultrathin crystalline Ga2O3 layer-to achieve a confined chemical reaction. Based on a designed molecular scaffold, the ultrathin Mo2GaC single crystals can be obtained during a chemical vapor deposition process.
The weak coupling offered by ReS2 and the potential for tuned properties make it stand out from the TMDs and relevant materials in the current two-dimensional layered-materials age. On the basis of its layer-independent properties, this review highlights the weak coupling feature of ReS2 and the emerging applications ranging from energy-related applications to smart devices. The possible future directions and challenges are also discussed.
Controllable fabrication of graphene is necessary for its practical application. Here, the growth process of graphene on a liquid surface to promote the development of attractive liquid CVD strategies is in focus. The exciting progress in controlled growth, etching, self-assembly, and delivery of graphene on a liquid surface is presented and discussed in depth. In addition, prospects and further developments in these exciting fields of graphene growth on a liquid surface are discussed.
