Measuring van der Waals and electrostatic forces for an atomic force microscope probe contacting with metal surfaces

A contact force spectrometry technique was used to measure the van der Waals and electrostatic forces acting on platinum-coated silicon probes contacting with metal films on silicon substrates. It is shown that the results of such measurements can be used for determining the geometric characteristics of probes and the Hamaker constant of contacting materials. The experimental data well agree with the theoretical values.     

Mapping van der Waals forces with frequency modulation dynamic force microscopy

Nanometre-size gold clusters supported on MoS(2)(0001) are investigated by means of ultrahigh-vacuum frequency modulation dynamic force microscopy. Topography and frequency shift images are simultaneously obtained using the average tunnelling current to regulate the tip-substrate distance. Two families of clusters are observed, giving different frequency shift images. While the topographic and frequency shift profiles have similar shapes on small clusters (size [Formula: see text]?nm), they are quite different near the top of large clusters (size [Formula: see text]?nm): the topographic profile is rounded, but the frequency shift profile exhibits rather steep edges and a depression near the centre of the island. It is demonstrated that these differences result from the finite range of van der Waals forces. On small islands, the frequency shift is dominated by the interaction of the tip with the substrate. On large islands, it is dominated by the interaction with the island. The particular observed shape results from the geometry of the island. These interpretations are comforted by analytical and numerical calculations. In particular, the characteristic shape of the frequency shift profiles on large islands can be reproduced by introducing realistic parameters and considering only the contribution of van?der?Waals forces.     

Calculations of van der Waals forces across films of liquid helium using Lifshitz theory

Lifshitz theory of van der Waals forces is used to calculate film heights and third-sound velocities for films of liquid helium on substrates of BaF₂ and CaF₂. The calculated film heights are in excellent agreement with the experimental values of Anderson and Sabinsky for film thicknesses 50 Å. At smaller distances, despite unavoidable theoretical uncertainties due to incomplete dielectric data, comparison of theory with experiment indicates that any dense layer adjacent to the substrate has an effective thickness of less than a single atomic layer.Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellow.     

One-dimensional van der Waals quantum materials

The advent of graphene and other two-dimensional van der Waals materials, with their unique electrical, optical, and thermal properties has resulted in tremendous progress for fundamental science. Recent developments suggest that taking one more step down in dimensionality — from mono-layer atomic sheets to individual atomic chains — can bring exciting prospects in fundamental science and practical applications. The atomic chain is the ultimate limit in material downscaling, a frontier for establishing an entirely new field of one-dimensional quantum materials. Here, we review this emerging area of one-dimensional van der Waals quantum materials and anticipate its future directions. We focus on quantum effects associated with the charge-density-wave condensate, strongly-correlated phenomena, topological phases, and other unique physical characteristics, which are attainable specifically in van der Waals materials of lower dimensionality. Possibilities for engineering the properties of quasi-one-dimensional materials via compositional changes, vacancies, and defects, as well as their potential applications in composites are also discussed.     

Numerical simulation of the head-on collision of two equal-sized drops with van der Waals forces

The head-on collision of two equal-sized drops in a hyperbolic flow is investigated numerically. An axisymmetric volume-of-fluid (VOF) method is used to simulate the motion of each drop toward a symmetry plane where it interacts and possibly coalesces with its mirror image. The volume-fraction boundary condition on the symmetry plane is manipulated to numerically control coalescence. Two new numerical methods have been developed to incorporate the van der Waals forces in the Navier–Stokes equations. One method employs a body force computed as the negative gradient of the van der Waals potential. The second method employs the van der Waals forces in terms of a disjoining pressure in the film depending on the film thickness. Results are compared to theory of thin-film rupture. Comparisons of the results obtained by the two methods at various values of the Hamaker constant show that the van der Waals forces calculated from the two methods have qualitatively similar effects on coalescence. A study of the influence of the van der Waals forces on the evolution and rupture of the film separating the drops reveals that the film thins faster under stronger van der Waals forces. Strong van der Waals forces lead to nose rupture, and small van der Waals forces lead to rim rupture. Increasing the Reynolds number causes a greater drop deformation and faster film drainage. Increasing the viscosity ratio slows film drainage, although the effect is small for small viscosity ratio.     

Mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterojunction-enhanced Raman scattering

Van der Waals heterojunctions(vdWHs)provide an excellent material system for the research of heterojunction-enhanced Raman scattering(HERS)due to their complexity and diversity.However,the traditional two-dimensional vdWHs are not conducive to the full utilization of near-field light due to the limitation of single dimension.Herein,we fabricate T-shaped mixed-dimensional SnSe₂/ReS₂ vdWHs via chemical vapor deposition and wetting transfer method,and demonstrate that the mixed-dimensional vdWHs can be used as ultrasensitive HERS chips based on the effective photo-induced charge transfer.Besides,the radiative energy transfer effect enhanced by near-field light further magnifies the HERS signals,improving the detection limit of rhodamine 6G(R6G)to femtomolar level.Furthermore,we demonstrate that the ultrasensitive screening of crystal violet in multicomponent solutions adsorbed on SnSe₂/ReS₂ vdWHs can be achieved by adjusting the laser wavelength,which has not been achieved by noble metal materials.This work provides new insights into the mixed-dimensional vdWHs and demonstrates the great application potential of T-shaped heterojunctions.     

Designing van der Waals Forces between Nanocolloids

van der Waals (VDW) dispersion forces are often calculated between colloidal particles by combining the Dzyaloshinskii-Lifshitz-Pitaevskii (DLP) theory with the Derjaguin approximation; however, several limitations prevent using this method for nanocolloids. Here we use the Axilrod-Teller-Muto 3-body formulation to predict VDW forces between spherical, cubic, and core-shell nanoparticles in a vacuum. Results suggest heuristics for "designing" nanocolloids to have improved stability.     

Opto-valleytronics in the 2D van der Waals heterostructure

The development of information processing devices with minimum carbon emission is crucial in this information age. One of the approaches to tackle this challenge is by using valleys (local extremum points in the momentum space) to encode the information instead of charges. The valley information in some material such as monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) can be controlled by using circularly polarized light. This opens a new field called opto-valleytronics. In this article, we first review the valley physics in monolayer TMD and two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure composed of monolayer TMD and other materials. Such 2D heterostructure has been shown to exhibit interesting phenomena such as interlayer exciton, magnetic proximity effect, and spin-orbit proximity effect, which is beneficial for opto-valleytronics application. We then review some of the optical valley control methods that have been used in the monolayer TMD and the 2D heterostructure. Finally, a summary and outlook of the 2D heterostructure opto-valleytronics are given.

     

Detecting van der Waals forces between a single polymer repeating unit and a solid surface in high vacuum

Nano Research - Ubiquitous van der Waals (vdW) forces are very important for nanostructures. Although the vdW forces between two surfaces (or two layers) have been measured for several decades, a...     

Strain-Sensitive Magnetization Reversal of a van der Waals Magnet

By virtue of the layered structure, van der Waals (vdW) magnets are sensitive to the lattice deformation controlled by the external strain, providing an ideal platform to explore the one-step magnetization reversal that is still conceptual in conventional magnets due to the limited strain-tuning range of the coercive field. In this study, a uniaxial tensile strain is applied to thin flakes of the vdW magnet Fe₃GeTe₂ (FGT), and a dramatic increase of the coercive field (H_c) by more than 150% with an applied strain of 0.32% is observed. Moreover, the change of the transition temperatures between the different magnetic phases under strain is investigated, and the phase diagram of FGT in the strain–temperature plane is obtained. Comparing the phase diagram with theoretical results, the strain-tunable magnetism is attributed to the sensitive change of magnetic anisotropy energy. Remarkably, strain allows an ultrasensitive magnetization reversal to be achieved, which may promote the development of novel straintronic device applications.     

Multifunctional van der Waals Broken‐Gap Heterojunction

The finite energy band‐offset that appears between band structures of employed materials in a broken‐gap heterojunction exhibits several interesting phenomena. Here, by employing a black phosphorus (BP)/rhenium disulfide (ReS₂) heterojunction, the tunability of the BP work function (Φ _BP) with variation in flake thickness is exploited in order to demonstrate that a BP‐based broken‐gap heterojunction can manifest diverse current‐transport characteristics such as gate tunable rectifying p–n junction diodes, Esaki diodes, backward‐rectifying diodes, and nonrectifying devices as a consequence of diverse band‐bending at the heterojunction. Diversity in band‐bending near heterojunction is attributed to change in the Fermi level difference (Δ) between BP and ReS₂ sides as a consequence of Φ _BP modulation. No change in the current transport characteristics in several devices with fixed Δ also provides further evidence that current‐transport is substantially impacted by band‐bending at the heterojunction. Optoelectronic experiments on the Esaki diode and the p–n junction diode provide experimental evidence of band‐bending diversity. Additionally, the p⁺–n–p junction comprising BP (38 nm)/ReS₂/BP(5.8 nm) demonstrates multifunctionality of binary and ternary inverters as well as exhibiting the behavior of a bipolar junction transistor with common‐emitter current gain up to 50.     

Ab-initio adsorption study of chitosan on functionalized graphene: critical role of van der Waals interactions

We investigate the adsorption process of an organic biomolecule (chitosan) on epoxy-functionalized graphene using ab-initio density functional methods incorporating van-der-waals (vdW) interactions. The role of London dispersion force on the cohesive energy and conformal preference of the molecule is quantitatively elucidated. Functionalizing graphene with epoxy leads to weak hydrogen-bond interactions with chitosan. Binding energy values increase by over an order of magnitude after including vdW corrections, implying that dispersive interactions dominate the physisorption process. Conformal study show binding upto 30 kcal/mol when the molecule is oriented with the hydroxyl group approaching the functionalized graphene. Our study advances the promise of functionalized graphene for a variety of applications.     

Uncovering the Conduction Behavior of van der Waals Ambipolar Semiconductors

A long‐standing puzzle about van der Waals semiconductors (vdWS) is regarding the origin(s) of the conduction behavior they exhibit. Of particular interest are those with ambipolar conduction, which may provide an alternative choice for practical applications when considering the difficulties of doping the ultrathin bodies of vdWS. Here, the conduction behavior of ambipolar vdWS is analytically and theoretically studied. Using numerical simulation, it is shown that ambipolar vdWS can be fully captured by a Schottky‐barrier FET model. Based on this, it is found that the widely observed conduction polarity transition while changing the body thickness mainly comes from the tuning of band alignment at the metal/vdWS interfaces. This transition can be suppressed/inversed by introducing an inert hBN layer between the vdWS and the substrate. Through first‐principles calculations, it is demonstrated that metal/vdWS/substrate interactions play a crucial role in tuning the Schottky‐barrier heights, which finally determines the conduction behavior that ambipolar vdWS exhibit.     

Integrating spin-based technologies with atomically controlled van der Waals interfaces

As the feature sizes of electronic devices continue to shrink, new technologies—in particular spintronics and derived interfacial architectures—become increasingly pivotal. In this context, two-dimensional van der Waals materials and their interfaces are particularly attractive, relying on their ultimate atomic thicknesses and exceptional spin-related properties. This review provides a critical evaluation on the state-of-the-art of van der Waals interfaces and projected technological applications in spintronics, highlights major challenges and a viable solution—an all-in-situ growth and characterization strategy, and finally identifies several emerging spin-based technologies that might significantly benefit from the versatile van der Waals interfaces enabled by the strategy.     

Multioperation-Mode Light-Emitting Field-Effect Transistors Based on van der Waals Heterostructure

2D semiconductors have shown great potential for application to electrically tunable optoelectronics. Despite the strong excitonic photoluminescence (PL) of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), their efficient electroluminescence (EL) has not been achieved due to the low efficiency of charge injection and electron–hole recombination. Here, multioperation-mode light-emitting field-effect transistors (LEFETs) consisting of a monolayer WSe₂ channel and graphene contacts coupled with two top gates for selective and balanced injection of charge carriers are demonstrated. Visibly observable EL is achieved with the high external quantum efficiency of ≈6% at room temperature due to efficient recombination of injected electrons and holes in a confined 2D channel. Further, electrical tunability of both the channel and contacts enables multioperation modes, such as antiambipolar, depletion,and unipolar regions, which can be utilized for polarity-tunable field-effect transistors and photodetectors. The work exhibits great potential for use in 2D semiconductor LEFETs for novel optoelectronics capable of high efficiency, multifunctions, and heterointegration.     

Electro-Optic Upconversion in van der Waals Heterostructures via Nonequilibrium Photocarrier Tunneling

Ultrafast interlayer charge transfer is one of the most distinct features of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. Its dynamics competes with carrier thermalization such that the energy of nonthermalized photocarriers may be harnessed by band engineering. In this study, nonthermalized photocarrier energy is harnessed to achieve near-infrared (NIR) to visible light upconversion in a metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) vdW heterostructure tunnel diode consisting of few-layer graphene (FLG), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS₂). Photoexcitation of the electrically biased heterostructure with 1.58 eV NIR laser in the linear absorption regime generates emission from the ground exciton state of WS₂, which corresponds to upconversion by ≈370 meV. The upconversion is realized by electrically assisted interlayer transfer of nonthermalized photoexcited holes from FLG to WS₂, followed by formation and radiative recombination of excitons in WS₂. The photocarrier transfer rate can be described by Fowler–Nordheim tunneling mechanism and is electrically tunable by two orders of magnitude by tuning voltage bias applied to the device. This study highlights the prospects for realizing novel electro-optic upconversion devices by exploiting electrically tunable nonthermalized photocarrier relaxation dynamics in vdW heterostructures.     

Bridging the van der Waals Interface for Advanced Optoelectronic Devices

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures exhibit excellent optoelectronic properties and novel functionalities. However, their applicability is impeded due to the common issue of the tunneling barrier, which arises from the vdW gap; this significantly increases the injection resistance of the photoexcited carriers. Herein, a generic strategy is demonstrated to eliminate the vdW gap in a broad class of heterostructures. It is observed that the vdW gap in the interface is bridged via strong orbital hybridization between the interface dangling bonds of nonlayered chalcogenide semiconductors and the artificially induced vacancies of transition metal chalcogenides (TMDCs). The photoresponse times of bridged PbS/ReS₂, PbS/MoSe₂, and PbS/MoS₂ are ≈30, 51, and 43 µs, respectively. The photon-triggered on/off ratio of the bridged PbS/MoS₂, ZnSe/MoS₂, and ZnTe/MoS₂ heterostructures exceed 10⁶, 10⁵, and 10⁵, respectively. These are several orders of magnitude higher than common vdW heterostructures. The findings obtained in this study present a versatile strategy for overcoming the performance limitations of vdW heterostructures.     

Vibration analysis of two orthogonal slender single-walled carbon nanotubes with a new insight into continuum-based modeling of van der Waals forces

Transverse vibrations of doubly orthogonal slender single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) at the vicinity of each other are of interest. The van der Waals (vdW) forces play an important role in dynamic interactions between two adjacent nanotubes. Using Lennard-Jones potential function, such a phenomenon is appropriately modeled by a newly introduced vdW force density function. By employing Hamilton’s principle, the equations of motion are obtained based on the nonlocal Rayleigh beam theory. In fact, these are integro-partial differential equations and seeking an exact or even analytical solution to them is a very difficult job. Therefore, an efficient numerical solution is proposed. The effects of the intertube distance, slenderness ratio, small-scale parameter, aspect ratio, and elastic properties of the surrounding medium on the free vibration of the nanosystem are addressed. The obtained results could be regarded as a pivotal step for better realizing of dynamic behaviors of more complex systems consist of multiple orthogonal networks of nanotubes.