Controlled Micro/Nanodome Formation in Proton‐Irradiated Bulk Transition‐Metal Dichalcogenides

At the few‐atom‐thick limit, transition‐metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exhibit strongly interconnected structural and optoelectronic properties. The possibility to tailor the latter by controlling the former is expected to have a great impact on applied and fundamental research. As shown here, proton irradiation deeply affects the surface morphology of bulk TMD crystals. Protons penetrate the top layer, resulting in the production and progressive accumulation of molecular hydrogen in the first interlayer region. This leads to the blistering of one‐monolayer thick domes, which stud the crystal surface and locally turn the dark bulk material into an efficient light emitter. The domes are stable (>2‐year lifetime) and robust, and host strong, complex strain fields. Lithographic techniques provide a means to engineer the formation process so that the domes can be produced with well‐ordered positions and sizes tunable from the nanometer to the micrometer scale, with important prospects for so far unattainable applications.     

2D Transition‐Metal‐Dichalcogenide‐Nanosheet‐Based Composites for Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Hydrogen (H₂) is one of the most important clean and renewable energy sources for future energy sustainability. Nowadays, photocatalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) from water splitting are considered as two of the most efficient methods to convert sustainable energy to the clean energy carrier, H₂. Catalysts based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are recognized as greatly promising substitutes for noble‐metal‐based catalysts for HER. The photocatalytic and electrocatalytic activities of TMD nanosheets for the HER can be further improved after hybridization with many kinds of nanomaterials, such as metals, oxides, sulfides, and carbon materials, through different methods including the in situ reduction method, the hot‐injection method, the heating‐up method, the hydro(solvo)thermal method, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and thermal annealing. Here, recent progress in photocatalytic and electrocatalytic HERs using 2D TMD‐based composites as catalysts is discussed.     

Integrated Freestanding Two‐dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

This paper reports on the integration of freestanding transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Monolayer (1‐L) MoS₂, WS₂, and WSe₂ as representative TMDs are transferred on ZnO nanorods (NRs), used here as nanostructured substrates. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of 1‐L TMDs on NRs show a giant PL intensity enhancement, compared with those of 1‐L TMDs on SiO₂. The strong increases in Raman and PL intensities, along with the characteristic peak shifts, confirm the absence of stress in the TMDs on NRs. In depth analysis of the PL emission also reveals that the ratio between the exciton and trion peak intensity is almost not modified after transfer. The latter shows that the effect of charge transfer between the 1‐L TMDs and ZnO NRs is here negligible. Furthermore, confocal PL and Raman spectroscopy reveal a fairly consistent distribution of PL and Raman intensities. These observations are in agreement with a very limited points contact between the support and the 1‐L TMDs. The entire process reported here is scalable and may pave the way for the development of very efficient ultrathin optoelectronics.     

Hybridizing Plasmonic Materials with 2D‐Transition Metal Dichalcogenides toward Functional Applications

Recently, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have become intriguing materials in the versatile field of photonics and optoelectronics because of their strong light–matter interaction that stems from the atomic layer thickness, broadband optical response, controllable optoelectronic properties, and high nonlinearity, as well as compatibility. Nevertheless, the low optical cross‐section of 2D‐TMDs inhibits the light–matter interaction, resulting in lower quantum yield. Therefore, hybridizing the 2D‐TMDs with plasmonic nanomaterials has become one of the promising strategies to boost the optical absorption of thin 2D‐TMDs. The appeal of plasmonics is based on their capability to localize and enhance the electromagnetic field and increase the optical path length of light by scattering and injecting hot electrons to TMDs. In this regard, recent achievements with respect to hybridization of the plasmonic effect in 2D‐TMDs systems and its augmented optical and optoelectronic properties are reviewed. The phenomenon of plasmon‐enhanced interaction in 2D‐TMDs is briefly described and state‐of‐the‐art hybrid device applications are comprehensively discussed. Finally, an outlook on future applications of these hybrid devices is provided.     

Atomic Insights into Phase Evolution in Ternary Transition‐Metal Dichalcogenides Nanostructures

Phase engineering through chemical modification can significantly alter the properties of transition‐metal dichalcogenides, and allow the design of many novel electronic, photonic, and optoelectronics devices. The atomic‐scale mechanism underlying such phase engineering is still intensively investigated but elusive. Here, advanced electron microscopy, combined with density functional theory calculations, is used to understand the phase evolution (hexagonal 2H→monoclinic T′→orthorhombic T_d) in chemical vapor deposition grown Mo_{1− x} W _x Te₂ nanostructures. Atomic‐resolution imaging and electron diffraction indicate that Mo_{1− x} W _x Te₂ nanostructures have two phases: the pure monoclinic phase in low W‐concentrated (0 < x ≤ 10 at.%) samples, and the dual phase of the monoclinic and orthorhombic in high W‐concentrated (10 < x < 90 at.%) samples. Such phase coexistence exists with coherent interfaces, mediated by a newly uncovered orthorhombic phase T_d′. T_d′, preserves the centrosymmetry of T′ and provides the possible phase transition path for T′→T_d with low energy state. This work enriches the atomic‐scale understanding of phase evolution and coexistence in multinary compounds, and paves the way for device applications of new transition‐metal dichalcogenides phases and heterostructures.