Stretch‐Driven Increase in Ultrahigh Thermal Conductance of Hydrogenated Borophene and Dimensionality Crossover in Phonon Transmission

Inspirited by the wide range of applications of graphene and the similarity between boron and carbon, 2D boron sheets have gained extensive research interest. In this work, using first‐principles combined with a nonequilibrium Green's function method, thermal conductance of fully hydrogenated borophene, named borophane, is studied. Interestingly and in contrast to widely perceived sense, at 300 K, it is found that the thermal conductance of borophane in the armchair direction is remarkably larger than that of graphene. More interesting, a dimensionality crossover is observed in phonon transmission where low‐frequency phonons exhibit 2D characteristic, while high‐frequency phonons behave like a 1D system, oriented along armchair direction, which results in the ultrahigh thermal conductance. An anomalous increase of thermal conductance with uniaxial tensile strain is observed, which is well explained by the unique puckered structure and chemical bonding in borophane. The excellent in‐plane stiffness and flexibility together with the high thermal conductance suggest that borophane is promising for soft thermal channel. Moreover, this unique dimensionality crossover in phonon transmission offers a perfect platform for studying the effect of phonon population in mode space, which is of primary importance for thermal transport in low‐dimensional systems.     

Elasticity,Flexibility, and Ideal Strength of Borophenes

The mechanical properties of 2D boron—borophene—are studied by first‐principles calculations. The recently synthesized borophene with a 1/6 concentration of hollow hexagons (HH) is shown to have in‐plane modulus C up to 210 N m^?1 and bending stiffness as low as D = 0.39 eV. Thus, its Foppl–von Karman number per unit area, defined as C /D , reaches 568 nm^?2, over twofold higher than graphene's value, establishing the borophene as one of the most flexible materials. Yet, the borophene has a specific modulus of 346 m² s^?2 and ideal strength of 16 N m^?1, rivaling those (453 m² s^?2 and 34 N m^?1) of graphene. In particular, its structural fluxionality enabled by delocalized multicenter chemical bonding favors structural phase transitions under tension, which result in exceptionally small breaking strains yet highly ductile breaking behavior. These mechanical properties can be further tailored by varying the HH concentration, and the boron sheet without HHs can even be stiffer than graphene against tension. The record high flexibility combined with excellent elasticity in boron sheets can be utilized for designing advanced composites and flexible devices.     

Recent progress in synthesis of two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have recently received a great deal of attention due to their unique structures and fascinating properties, as well as their potential applications. 2D hexagonal boron nitride (2D h-BN), an insulator with excellent thermal stability, chemical inertness, and unique electronic and optical properties, and a band gap of 5.97 eV, is considered to be an ideal candidate for integration with other 2D materials. Nevertheless, the controllable growth of high-quality 2D h-BN is still a great challenge. A comprehensive overview of the progress that has been made in the synthesis of 2D h-BN is presented, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of various synthesis approaches. In addition, the electronic, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties, heterostructures, and related applications of 2D h-BN are discussed.     

Broadband Pulsed Fiber Laser Generation with Topological Insulator: Towards the Mid-Infrared Regime

In recent years, topological insulators have aroused the attention of a great number of scientists due to their unique electronic structures and peculiar physical properties. Triggered by the similar electronic structures as graphene, the broadband nonlinear absorption properties of topological insulators were investigated. Moreover, the mode-locked or Q-switched fiber lasers based on topological insulators were realized for broadband operating wavelength. Here, we present an overview of the preparation, transferring, linear and nonlinear optical properties, and their applications of topological insulators in pulsed fiber lasers. The pulsed fiber lasers towards midinfrared regimes have been proposed.     

Toward Macroscale,Isotropic Carbons with Graphene‐Sheet‐Like Electrical and Mechanical Properties

Realization of macroscale three‐dimensional isotropic carbons that retain the exceptional electrical and mechanical properties of graphene sheets remains a challenge. Here, a method for fabricating graphene‐derived carbons (GDCs) with isotropic properties approaching those of individual graphene sheets is reported. This synthesis scheme relies on direct cross‐linking of graphene sheets via the functional groups in graphene oxide to maximize electronic transport and mechanical reinforcement between sheets and the partial restacking of the sheets to increase the material density to about 1 g cm^‐3. These GDCs exhibit properties 3–6 orders of magnitude higher than previously reported 3D graphene assemblies.     

Recent advances in optoelectronic properties and applications of two-dimensional metal chalcogenides

Since two-dimensional (2D) graphene was fabricated successfully, many kinds of graphene-like 2D materials have attracted extensive attention. Among them, the studies of 2D metal chalcogenides have become the focus of intense research due to their unique physical properties and promising applications. Here, we review significant recent advances in optoelectronic properties and applications of 2D metal chalcogenides. This review highlights the recent progress of synthesis, characterization and isolation of single and few layer metal chalcogenides nanosheets. Moreover, we also focus on the recent important progress of electronic, optical properties and optoelectronic devices of 2D metal chalcogenides. Additionally, the theoretical model and understanding on the band structures, optical properties and related physical mechanism are also reviewed. Finally, we give some personal perspectives on potential research problems in the optoelectronic characteristics of 2D metal chalcogenides and related device applications.     

Electronic properties of boron in p-type bulk 6H-SiC

The electronic properties of boron in bulk 6H-SiC have been studied by temperature dependent Hall effect, thermal admittance spectroscopy, and optical absorption. A single acceptor level located between 0.27 and 0.35 eV above the valence band is associated with boron on a silicon lattice site. The deep nature of this acceptor level prevents complete thermal activation of the level at room temperature and thus carrier concentration measurements at this temperature will not give the total boron concentration. A spread in the measured activation energy for boron is reported. Measurement of optical absorption is suggested as a nondestructive measure of boron concentration. No evidence for the D-center was observed in this material.     

First principles study of structural,electronic and magnetic properties of SnGen(0,±1) (n =1-17) clusters

The structures,relative stability and magnetic properties of pure Gen+1,neutral cationic and anionic SnGen (n =1-17) clusters have been investigated by using the first principles density functional theory implemented in SIESTA packages.We find that with the increasing of cluster size,the Gen+1 and SnGen(0,±1) clusters tend to adopt compact structures.It has been also found that the Sn atom occupied a peripheral position for SnGen clusters when n ＜ 12 and occupied a core position for n ＞ 12.The structural and electronic properties such as optimized geometries,fragmentation energy,binding energy per atom,HOMO-LUMO gaps and second-order differences in energy of the pure Gen+1 and SnGen clusters in their ground state are calculated and analyzed.All isomers of neutral SnGen clusters are generally nonmagnetic except for n =1 and 4,where the total spin magnetic moments is 2μb.The total (DOS) and partial density of states of these clusters have been calculated to understand the origin of peculiar magnetic properties.The cluster size dependence of vertical ionization potentials,vertical electronic affinities,chemical hardness,adiabatic electron affinities and adiabatic ionization potentials have been calculated and discussed.     

Valleytronics,Carrier Filtering and Thermoelectricity in Bismuth: Magnetic Field Polarization Effects

Valley polarization of multi‐valleyed materials is of significant interest for potential applications in electronic devices. The main challenge is removing the valley degeneracy in some controllable way. The unique properties of bismuth, including its anisotropic electronic structure and Dirac valley degeneracy, make this material an excellent system for valleytronics. It is demonstrated theoretically that the direction of an externally applied magnetic field in the binary‐bisectrix plane has a profound effect not only on the charge, but also on the thermal transport along the trigonal direction. The rotating field probes the electronic mass anisotropy and tunes the contribution from a particular Dirac valley in the electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity at moderate temperatures and field strengths. It is further shown that the field polarization of the transport properties is accompanied by selective filtering of the carriers type providing further opportunities for thermoelectric transport control.     

Recent Advances in Liquid‐Like Thermoelectric Materials

Thermoelectric technology has attracted great attention due to its ability to recover and convert waste heat into readily available electric energy. Among the various candidate materials, liquid‐like compounds have received tremendous research interest on account of their intrinsically ultralow lattice thermal conductivity, tunable electrical properties, and high thermoelectric performance. Despite their complex phase transitions and diverse crystal structures, liquid‐like materials have two independent sublattices in common: one rigid sublattice formed by immobile ions for the free transport of electrons and one liquid‐like sublattice consisting of highly mobile ions to interrupt the thermal transports. This review first outlines the common structural features of liquid‐like thermoelectrics, along with their unusual electron and phonon transport behaviors that well satisfy the concept of “phonon‐liquid electron‐crystal.” Next, some commonly adopted strategies for further improving their thermoelectric performance are highlighted. The main progress achieved in the typical liquid‐like TE materials is then summarized, with an emphasis on their diverse crystal structures, common characteristics, and unique transport properties. The recent understandings on the stability issue of liquid‐like TE materials are also introduced. Finally, an outlook is given for the liquid‐like materials with the aim to boost further development in this exciting scientific subfield.     

A Versatile Light‐Switchable Nanorod Memory: Wurtzite ZnO on Perovskite SrTiO3

Integrating materials with distinct lattice symmetries and dimensions is an effective design strategy toward realizing novel devices with unprecedented functionalities, but many challenges remain in synthesis and device design. Here, a heterojunction memory made of wurtzite ZnO nanorods grown on perovskite Nb‐doped SrTiO₃ (NSTO) is reported, the electronic properties of which can be drastically reconfigured by applying a voltage and light. Despite of the distinct lattice structures of ZnO and NSTO, a consistent nature of single crystallinity is achieved in the heterojunctions via the low‐temperature solution‐based hydrothermal growth. In addition to a high and persistent photoconductivity, the ZnO/NSTO heterojunction diode can be turned into a versatile light‐switchable resistive switching memory with highly tunable ON and OFF states. The reversible modification of the effective interfacial energy barrier in the concurrent electronic and ionic processes most likely gives rise to the high susceptibility of the ZnO/NSTO heterojunction to external electric and optical stimuli. Furthermore, this facile synthesis route is promising to be generalized to other novel functional nanodevices integrating materials with diverse structures and properties.     

Thermal Transport in 2D Semiconductors—Considerations for Device Applications

The discovery of graphene has stimulated the search for and investigations into other 2D materials because of the rich physics and unusual properties exhibited by many of these layered materials. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), black phosphorus, and SnSe among many others, have emerged to show highly tunable physical and chemical properties that can be exploited in a whole host of promising applications. Alongside the novel electronic and optical properties of such 2D semiconductors, their thermal transport properties have also attracted substantial attention. Here, a comprehensive review of the unique thermal transport properties of various emerging 2D semiconductors is provided, including TMDs, black‐ and blue‐phosphorene among others, and the different mechanisms underlying their thermal conductivity characteristics. The focus is placed on the phonon‐related phenomena and issues encountered in various applications based on 2D semiconductor materials and their heterostructures, including thermoelectric power generation and electron–phonon coupling effect in photoelectric and thermal transistor devices. A thorough understanding of phonon transport physics in 2D semiconductor materials to inform thermal management of next‐generation nanoelectronic devices is comprehensively presented along with strategies for controlling heat energy transport and conversion.     

Preparation,Properties, and Applications of Low-Dimensional Molecular Organic Nanomaterials

In recent years, great progress has been made in research and development of small-molecule organic materials with various low-dimensional nanostructures. This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent research progress in this field, including preparation, electronic and optoelectronic properties and applications. First, an introduction gives to the reprecipitation, soft templates methods, and progress in synthesis and morphological control of low-dimensional small-molecule organic nanomaterials. Their unique optical and electronic properties and research progress in these aspects are reviewed and discussed in detail. Applications based on low-dimensional small-molecule organic nanomaterials are briefly described. Finally, some perspectives to the future development of this field are addressed.     

Atomically Thin Boron Nitride: Unique Properties and Applications

Atomically thin boron nitride (BN) is an important 2D nanomaterial, with many properties distinct from graphene. In this feature article, these unique properties and associated applications, often not feasible with graphene, are outlined. The article starts with characterization and identification of atomically thin BN. It is followed by demonstrating their strong oxidation resistance at high temperatures and applications in protecting metals from oxidation and corrosion. As flat insulators, BN nanosheets are ideal dielectric substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and electronic devices based on 2D heterostructures. The light emission of BN nanosheets in the deep ultraviolet (DUV) and ultraviolet (UV) regions is also included for its scientific and technological importance. The last part is dedicated to synthesis, characterization, and optical properties of BN nanoribbons, a special form of nanosheets.     

Recent Progress on 2D Noble‐Transition‐Metal Dichalcogenides

Emerging classes of 2D noble‐transition‐metal dichalcogenides (NTMDs) stand out for their unique structure and novel physical properties in recent years. With the nearly full occupation of the d orbitals, 2D NTMDs are expected to be more attractive due to the unique interlayer vibrational behaviors and largely tunable electronic structures compared to most transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors. The novel properties of 2D NTMDs have stimulated various applications in electronics, optoelectronics, catalysis, and sensors. Here, the latest development of 2D NTMDs are reviewed from the perspective of structure characterization, preparation, and application. Based on the recent research, the conclusions and outlook for these rising 2D NTMDs are presented.     

Recent advances in preparation,properties and device applications of two-dimensional h-BN and its vertical heterostructures

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials, such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), have attracted tremendous interest due to their atom-thickness structures and excellent physical properties. h-BN has predominant advantages as the dielectric substrate in FET devices due to its outstanding properties such as chemically inert surface, being free of dangling bonds and surface charge traps, especially the large-band-gap insulativity. h-BN involved vertical heterostructures have been widely exploited during the past few years. Such heterostructures adopting h-BN as dielectric layers exhibit enhanced electronic performance, and provide further possibilities for device engineering. Besides, a series of intriguing physical phenomena are observed in certain vertical heterostructures, such as superlattice potential induced replication of Dirac points, band gap tuning, Hofstadter butterfly states, gate-dependent pseudospin mixing. Herein we focus on the rapid developments of h-BN synthesis and fabrication of vertical heterostructures devices based on h-BN, and review the novel properties as well as the potential applications of the heterostructures composed of h-BN.     

Physical vapor deposited 2D bismuth for CMOS technology

Two-dimensional (2D) bismuth, bismuthene, is an emerging pnictogen family member that has received increasing research attention in the past few years, which could yield exotic electrical, thermal, and optical properties due to unique band structure. This review provides a holistic view of recent research advances on 2D bismuth material synthesis and device applications in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Firstly, the atomic and band structure of bismuthene is reviewed as the fundamental understanding of its physical properties. Then, it highlights material synthesis of 2D bismuth atomic sheets with emphasis on physical vapor deposition method with accurate layer controllability and process compatibility with CMOS technology. Moreover, it will survey latest applications of 2D bismuth in terms of electronic, optic, thermoelectric, spintronic and magnetic nanodevices. 2D bismuth derivatives (Bi–X, X = Sb, Te, Se) will also be mentioned as a promising strategy to further improve device performance. At last, it concludes with a brief summary on the current challenges and future prospects in 2D bismuth and its derivatives for innovative electronics, sensors and other devices compatible with CMOS techniques.     

Progress,Challenges, and Opportunities for 2D Material Based Photodetectors

2D material based photodetectors have attracted many research projects due to their unique structures and excellent electronic and optoelectronic properties. These 2D materials, including semimetallic graphene, semiconducting black phosphorus, transition metal dichalcogenides, insulating hexagonal boron nitride, and their various heterostructures, show a wide distribution in bandgap values. To date, hundreds of photodetectors based on 2D materials have been reported. Here, a review of photodetectors based on 2D materials covering the detection spectrum from ultraviolet to infrared is presented. First, a brief insight into the detection mechanisms of 2D material photodetectors as well as introducing the figure‐of‐merits which are key factors for a reasonable comparison between different photodetectors is provided. Then, the recent progress on 2D material based photodetectors is reviewed. Particularly, the excellent performances such as broadband spectrum detection, ultrahigh photoresponsivity and sensitivity, fast response speed and high bandwidth, polarization‐sensitive detection are pointed out on the basis of the state‐of‐the‐art 2D photodetectors. Initial applications based on 2D material photodetectors are mentioned. Finally, an outlook is delivered, the challenges and future directions are discussed, and general advice for designing and realizing novel high‐performance photodetectors is given to provide a guideline for the future development of this fast‐developing field.     

量子点在生命科学中的应用及其进展

量子点因其独特的光学和电子学性质而具有很高的实用价值。本文概述了量子点的特性和制备方法,着重阐述了其在生命科学,尤其是免疫生物学和临床检验学中的应用进展,并对其发展进行了展望。     

Effects of Defects on the Temperature‐Dependent Thermal Conductivity of Suspended Monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide Grown by Chemical Vapor Deposition

It is understood that defects of the atomic arrangement of the lattice in 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) can have a profound effect on the electronic and optical properties. Beyond these it is a major prerequisite to also understand the fundamental effect of such defects on phonon transport, to guarantee the successful integration of MoS₂ into the solid‐state devices. A comprehensive joint experiment‐theory investigation to explore the effect of lattice defects on the thermal transport of the suspended MoS₂ monolayer grown by CVD is presented. The measured room temperature thermal conductivity values are 30 ± 3.3 and 35.5 ± 3 W m^?1 K^?1 for two samples, which are more than two times smaller than that of their exfoliated counterpart. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that these CVD‐grown samples are polycrystalline in nature with low angle grain boundaries, which is primarily responsible for their reduced thermal conductivity. Higher degree of polycrystallinity and aging effects also result in smoother temperature dependency of thermal conductivity (κ) at temperatures below 100 K. First‐principles lattice dynamics simulations are carried out to understand the role of defects such as isotopes, vacancies, and grain boundaries on the phonon scattering rates of our CVD‐grown samples.