154 pubs · 29,270 cites · h-index 60
Innovative design improves CO2 uptake in direct air capture systems, suggesting effective carbon removal solutions.
Efficient and reliable spin injection at room temperature with scalability is crucial for spintronic applications but remains challenging. Direct ferromagnetic metal deposition on two-dimensional materials often leads to inefficient transparent contacts. Here, we introduce an indium buffer layer between ferromagnetic cobalt (Co) and graphene to establish high-efficiency van der Waals (vdW) tunnel contacts. This buffer layer facilitates a physisorption interface between Co and graphene with a well-defined vdW gap, which functions as an effective spin tunnel barrier. Through buffer layer thickness optimization, we achieved a room-temperature spin injection efficiency of approximately 25% in graphene, comparable to the best single-crystalline oxide-tunnel-barrier-based devices, alongside explicit nonlocal spin valve signals and Hanle spin precession. We further demonstrate the scalability of our approach through uniform performance across multi-channel graphene spin valves and its versatility by achieving efficient spin injection in semiconducting MoS2 with an average efficiency of about 19.7%. Our strategy offers a simple, cost-efficient, and industry-compatible method for future large-scale and efficient spintronic applications. Researchers developed a simple, industry-compatible method using an indium buffer layer between cobalt and 2D materials to form vdWs tunnel contacts. This achieved high spin injection efficiency in both graphene and MoS2, enabling future large-scale spintronic devices.
Silicon has long been considered one of the most promising anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity. However, a significant challenge that restricts its practical application is the persistent issue of weak interfacial contact in the silicon anode, which leads to structural instability during lithiation/delithiation processes due to large volume expansion. In this work, we develop a dual welding encapsulation strategy by constructing Si–C chemical bonding between the silicon and conductive covering shells and establishing C–C interlayer bonding connections among the covering shells. By directly examining the interface of silicon-based composites, we identify the types of compounds and hybrid orbital structures from their spatial distribution using machine-learning-enhanced transmission electron microscopy analysis techniques. This dual welding mechanism not only enhances the mechanical strength of the protective carbon shell but also ensures sustained electrical connection between the core and shell through the Si–C bonds. The robust heterogeneous structure effectively mitigates interfacial instability within the silicon anode, suppressing volume expansion below 12% after 300 cycles. Thus, the full-cell with the composite anode and LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 cathode performs a high energy density of 576 Wh kg –1 and stable cycling, inspiring the construction of commercial silicon batteries.
Magnetic superconductors manifest a fascinating interplay between their magnetic and superconducting properties. This becomes evident, for example, in the significant enhancement of the upper critical field observed in uranium-based superconductors, or the destruction of superconductivity well below the superconducting transition temperature Tc in cobalt-doped NbSe₂. In this work, we argue that the Kondo interaction plays a pivotal role in governing these behaviors. By employing a periodic Anderson model, we study the Kondo effect in superconductors with either singlet or triplet pairing. In the regime of small impurity energies and high doping concentrations, we find the emergence of a Kondo resistive region below Tc. While a magnetic field suppresses singlet superconductivity, it stabilizes triplet pairing through the screening of magnetic impurities, inducing reentrant superconductivity at high fields. Moreover, introducing an antisymmetric spin-orbital coupling suppresses triplet superconductivity. This framework provides a unified picture to understand the observation of Kondo effect in NbSe₂ as well as the phase diagrams in Kondo superconductors such as UTe₂ and URhGe.
A new nanoporous amorphous carbon (NAC) structure that achieves both ultrahigh strength and high electrical conductivity, which are usually incompatible in porous materials is reported. By using modified spark plasma sintering, three amorphous carbon phases with different atomic bonding configurations are created. The composite consisted of an amorphous sp 2 ‐carbon matrix mixed with amorphous sp 3 ‐carbon and amorphous graphitic motif. NAC structure has an isotropic electrical conductivity of up to 12 000 S m −1 , Young's modulus of up to ≈5 GPa, and Vickers hardness of over 900 MPa. These properties are superior to those of existing conductive nanoporous materials. Direct investigation of the multiscale structure of this material through transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and machine learning‐based electron tomography revealed that the origin of the remarkable material properties is the well‐organized sp 2 /sp 3 amorphous carbon phases with a core–shell‐like architecture, where the sp 3 ‐rich carbon forms a resilient core surrounded by a conductive sp 2 ‐rich layer. This research not only introduces novel materials with exceptional properties but also opens new opportunities for exploring amorphous structures and designing high‐performance materials.
We investigate the magnetoresistance of a dual-gated bilayer <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><a:mrow><a:mi>Mo</a:mi><a:msub><a:mi mathvariant="normal">S</a:mi><a:mn>2</a:mn></a:msub></a:mrow></a:math> encapsulated by hexagonal boron nitride. At low magnetic fields (<c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><c:mrow><c:mo>|</c:mo><c:mi>B</c:mi><c:mo>|</c:mo><c:mo><</c:mo><c:mn>0.5</c:mn><c:mspace width="4pt"/><c:mi mathvariant="normal">T</c:mi></c:mrow></c:math>), we observe a negative magnetoresistance, which we identify as the weak localization effect. We determine both the phase coherence length and mean free path as a function of electron density and displacement field. Both characteristic lengths show a similar monotonic increase with electron density, while they are not affected by the displacement field. We further investigate the dephasing mechanism by measuring the temperature dependence of the phase coherence length. Our results suggest that when only the lower spin-orbit split bands (<f:math xmlns:f="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><f:mrow><f:mi>K</f:mi><f:mo>↑</f:mo></f:mrow><f:mo>,</f:mo><f:mo> </f:mo><f:mrow><f:msup><f:mi>K</f:mi><f:mo>′</f:mo></f:msup><f:mrow><f:mo>↓</f:mo></f:mrow></f:mrow></f:math>) contribute to transport is Coulomb scattering the dominant source of decoherence, while intervalley scattering seems not to play a relevant role in this regime. This observation is consistent with the picture of spin-polarized valleys (spin-valley locking), where the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling protects the spin states, rather than introducing an additional dephasing mechanism as in other materials.
Graphene and positively polarized P(VDF-TrFE) assist in controlling Zn nucleation and growth on a Cu substrate, enabling high-performance zinc metal-free zinc-ion batteries.
Localized electrons subject to applied magnetic fields can restart to propagate freely through the lattice in delocalized magnetic Bloch states (MBSs) when the lattice periodicity is commensurate with the magnetic length. Twisted graphene superlattices with moiré wavelength tunability enable experimental access to the unique delocalization in a controllable fashion. Here, we report the observation and characterization of high-temperature Brown–Zak (BZ) oscillations which come in two types, 1/ B and B periodicity, originating from the generation of integer and fractional MBSs, in the twisted bilayer and trilayer graphene superlattices, respectively. Coexisting periodic-in-1/ B oscillations assigned to different moiré wavelengths are dramatically observed in small-angle twisted bilayer graphene, which may arise from angle-disorder-induced in-plane heteromoiré superlattices. Moreover, the vertical stacking of heteromoiré supercells in double-twisted trilayer graphene results in a mega-sized superlattice. The exotic superlattice contributes to the periodic-in- B oscillation and dominates the magnetic Bloch transport.
Controlled spin transport in graphene and other two-dimensional materials has become increasingly promising for applications in devices. Of particular interest are custom-tailored heterostructures, known as van der Waals heterostructures, that consist of stacks of two-dimensional materials in a precisely controlled order. This Colloquium gives an overview of this developing field of spintronics and outlines the experimental and theoretical state of the art.
Defect-free graphene is impermeable to gases and liquids but highly permeable to thermal protons. Atomic-scale defects such as vacancies, grain boundaries, and Stone-Wales defects are predicted to enhance graphene's proton permeability and may even allow small ions through, whereas larger species such as gas molecules should remain blocked. These expectations have so far remained untested in experiment. Here, we show that atomically thin carbon films with a high density of atomic-scale defects continue blocking all molecular transport, but their proton permeability becomes ∼1000 times higher than that of defect-free graphene. Lithium ions can also permeate through such disordered graphene. The enhanced proton and ion permeability is attributed to a high density of eight-carbon-atom rings. The latter pose approximately twice lower energy barriers for incoming protons compared to that of the six-atom rings of graphene and a relatively low barrier of ∼0.6 eV for Li ions. Our findings suggest that disordered graphene could be of interest as membranes and protective barriers in various Li-ion and hydrogen technologies.
Luminescent defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have emerged as promising single photon emitters (SPEs) due to their high brightness and robust operation at room temperature. The ability to create such emitters with well‐defined optical properties is a cornerstone toward their integration into on‐chip photonic architectures. Here, an effective approach is reported to fabricate hBN SPEs with desired emission properties in distinct spectral regions via the manipulation of boron diffusion through copper during atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD)—a process termed gettering. Using the gettering technique the resulting zero‐phonon line is deterministically placed between the regions 550 and 600 nm or from 600 to 650 nm, paving the way for hBN SPEs with tailored emission properties. Additionally, rational control over the observed SPE density in the resulting films is demonstrated. The ability to control defect formation during hBN growth provides a cost effective means to improve the crystallinity of CVD hBN films, and lower defect density making it applicable to hBN growth for a wide‐range of applications. The results are important to understand defect formation of quantum emitters in hBN and deploy them for scalable photonic technologies.
Luminescent defect-centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have emerged as a promising 2D-source of single photon emitters (SPEs) due to their high brightness and robust operation at room temperature. The ability to create such emitters with well-defined optical properties is a cornerstone towards their integration into on-chip photonic architectures. Here, we report an effective approach to fabricate hBN single photon emitters (SPEs) with desired emission properties in two isolated spectral regions via the manipulation of boron diffusion through copper during atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD)--a process we term gettering. Using the gettering technique we deterministically place the resulting zero-phonon line (ZPL) between the regions 550-600 nm or from 600-650 nm, paving the way for hBN SPEs with tailored emission properties across a broad spectral range. Our ability to control defect formation during hBN growth provides a simple and cost-effective means to improve the crystallinity of CVD hBN films, and lower defect density making it applicable to hBN growth for a wide range of applications. Our results are important to understand defect formation of quantum emitters in hBN and deploy them for scalable photonic technologies.
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The observation of micrometer size spin relaxation makes graphene a promising material for applications in spintronics requiring long-distance spin communication. However, spin dependent scatterings at the contact/graphene interfaces affect the spin injection efficiencies and hence prevent the material from achieving its full potential. While this major issue could be eliminated by nondestructive direct optical spin injection schemes, graphene’s intrinsically low spin–orbit coupling strength and optical absorption place an obstacle in their realization. We overcome this challenge by creating sharp artificial interfaces between graphene and WSe 2 monolayers. Application of circularly polarized light activates the spin-polarized charge carriers in the WSe 2 layer due to its spin-coupled valley-selective absorption. These carriers diffuse into the superjacent graphene layer, transport over a 3.5 μm distance, and are finally detected electrically using Co/h-BN contacts in a nonlocal geometry. Polarization-dependent measurements confirm the spin origin of the nonlocal signal. We also demonstrate that such signal is absent if graphene is contacted to bilayer WSe 2 where the inversion symmetry is restored.
We intercalate a van der Waals heterostructure of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride with Au, by encapsulation, and show that the Au at the interface is two dimensional. Charge transfer upon current annealing indicates the redistribution of the Au and induces splitting of the graphene band structure. The effect of an in-plane magnetic field confirms that the splitting is due to spin splitting and that the spin polarization is in the plane, characteristic of a Rashba interaction with a magnitude of approximately 25 meV. Consistent with the presence of an intrinsic interfacial electric field we show that the splitting can be enhanced by an applied displacement field in dual gated samples. A giant negative magnetoresistance, up to 75%, and a field induced anomalous Hall effect at magnetic fields <1 T are observed. These demonstrate that the hybridized Au has a magnetic moment and suggests the proximity to the formation of a collective magnetic phase. These effects persist close to room temperature.
Enhanced photoresponse is obtained from phosphorene–phosphorene-suboxide. A scanning focused laser beam is employed as a straightforward approach to convert part of a phosphorene film into phosphorene suboxide, creating a functional junction in situ on an optoelectronic device based on phosphorene. As a result, the photoelectrical properties of the optoelectronic device are significantly improved. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
Few-layer black phosphorus is a monatomic two-dimensional crystal with a direct band gap that has high carrier mobility for both holes and electrons. Similarly to other layered atomic crystals, like graphene or layered transition metal dichalcogenides, the transport behavior of few-layer black phosphorus is sensitive to surface impurities, adsorbates, and adatoms. Here we study the effect of Cu adatoms onto few-layer black phosphorus by characterizing few-layer black phosphorus field effect devices and by performing first-principles calculations. We find that the addition of Cu adatoms can be used to controllably n-dope few layer black phosphorus, thereby lowering the threshold voltage for n-type conduction without degrading the transport properties. We demonstrate a scalable 2D material-based complementary inverter which utilizes a boron nitride gate dielectric, a graphite gate, and a single bP crystal for both the p- and n-channels. The inverter operates at matched input and output voltages, exhibits a gain of 46, and does not require different contact metals or local electrostatic gating.
We demonstrate a straightforward and effective laser pruning approach to reduce multilayer black phosphorus (BP) to few-layer BP under ambient condition. Phosphorene oxides and suboxides are formed and the degree of laser-induced oxidation is controlled by the laser power. Since the band gaps of the phosphorene suboxide depend on the oxygen concentration, this simple technique is able to realize localized band gap engineering of the thin BP. Micropatterns of few-layer phosphorene suboxide flakes with unique optical and fluorescence properties are created. Remarkably, some of these suboxide flakes display long-term (up to 2 weeks) stability in ambient condition. Comparing against the optical properties predicted by first-principle calculations, we develop a "calibration" map in using focused laser power as a handle to tune the band gap of the BP suboxide flake. Moreover, the surface of the laser patterned region is altered to be sensitive to toxic gas by way of fluorescence contrast. Therefore, the multicolored display is further demonstrated as a toxic gas monitor. In addition, the BP suboxide flake is demonstrated to exhibit higher drain current modulation and mobility comparable to that of the pristine BP in the electronic application.
Magnetotransport measurements demonstrate that graphene in a van der Waals heterostructure is a sensitive probe of quantum transport in an adjacent WS2 layer via strong Coulomb interactions. We observe a large low-field magnetoresistance (≫ e(2)/h) and a -ln T temperature dependence of the resistance. In-plane magnetic field resistance indicates the origin is orbital and nonclassical. We demonstrate a strong electron-hole asymmetry in the mobility and coherence length of graphene demonstrating the presence of localized Coulomb interactions with ionized donors in the WS2 substrate, which ultimately leads to screening as the Fermi level of graphene is tuned toward the conduction band of WS2. This leads us to conclude that graphene couples to quantum localization processes in WS2 via the Coulomb interaction and results in the observed signatures of quantum transport. Our results show that theoretical descriptions of the van der Waals interface should not ignore localized strong correlations.
Black phosphorus has an orthorhombic layered structure with a layer-dependent direct band gap from monolayer to bulk, making this material an emerging material for photodetection. Inspired by this and the recent excitement over this material, we studied the optoelectronics characteristics of high-quality, few-layer black phosphorus-based photodetectors over a wide spectrum ranging from near-ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR). It is demonstrated for the first time that black phosphorus can be configured as an excellent UV photodetector with a specific detectivity ∼3 × 10(13) Jones. More critically, we found that the UV photoresponsivity can be significantly enhanced to ∼9 × 10(4) A W(-1) by applying a source-drain bias (VSD) of 3 V, which is the highest ever measured in any 2D material and 10(7) times higher than the previously reported value for black phosphorus. We attribute such a colossal UV photoresponsivity to the resonant-interband transition between two specially nested valence and conduction bands. These nested bands provide an unusually high density of states for highly efficient UV absorption due to the singularity of their nature.
We characterized plasmon propagation in graphene on thin films of the high-κ dielectric PbZr0.3Ti0.7O3 (PZT). Significant modulation (up to ±75%) of the plasmon wavelength was achieved with application of ultrasmall voltages (< ±1 V) across PZT. Analysis of the observed plasmonic fringes at the graphene edge indicates that carriers in graphene on PZT behave as noninteracting Dirac Fermions approximated by a semiclassical Drude response, which may be attributed to strong dielectric screening at the graphene/PZT interface. Additionally, significant plasmon scattering occurs at the grain boundaries of PZT from topographic and/or polarization induced graphene conductivity variation in the interior of graphene, reducing the overall plasmon propagation length. Lastly, through application of 2 V across PZT, we demonstrate the capability to persistently modify the plasmonic response of graphene through transient voltage application.