Explore the vast range of titles available.

The significance of graphene and its two-dimensional (2D) analogous inorganic layered materials especially as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and molybdenum disulphide (MoS 2 ) for “clean energy” applications became apparent over the last few years due to their extraordinary properties. In this review article we study the current progress and selected challenges in the syntheses of graphene, h-BN and MoS 2 including energy storage applications as supercapacitors and batteries. Various substrates/catalysts (metals/insulator/semiconducting) have been used to obtain graphene, h-BN and MoS 2 using different kinds of precursors. The most widespread methods for synthesis of graphene, h-BN and MoS 2 layers are chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced CVD, hydro/solvothermal methods, liquid phase exfoliation, physical methods etc. Current research has shown that graphene, h-BN and MoS 2 layered materials modified with metal oxide can have an insightful influence on the performance of energy storage devices as supercapacitors and batteries. This review article also contains the discussion on the opportunities and perspectives of these materials (graphene, h-BN and MoS 2 ) in the energy storage fields. We expect that this written review article including recent research on energy storage will help in generating new insights for further development and practical applications of graphene, h-BN and MoS 2 layers based materials.

In the last decade, two‐dimensional layered materials (2DLMs) have been drawing extensive attentions due to their unique properties, such as absence of surface dangling bonds, thickness‐dependent bandgap, high absorption coefficient, large specific surface area, and so on. But the high‐quality growth and transfer of wafer‐scale 2DLMs films is still a great challenge for the commercialization of pure 2DLMs‐based photodetectors. Conversely, the material growth and device fabrication technologies of three‐dimensional (3D) semiconductors photodetectors tend to be gradually matured. However, the further improvement of the photodetection performance is limited by the difficult heterogeneous integration or the inferior crystal quality via heteroepitaxy. Fortunately, 2D/3D van der Waals heterostructures (vdWH) combine the advantages of the two types of materials simultaneously, which may provide a new platform for developing high‐performance optoelectronic devices. Here, we first discuss the unique advantages of 2D/3D vdWH for the future development of photodetection field and simply introduce the structure categories, working mechanisms, and the typical fabrication methods of 2D/3D vdWH photodetector. Then, we outline the recent progress on 2D/3D vdWH‐based photodetection devices integrating 2DLMs with the traditional 3D semiconductor materials, including Si, Ge, GaAs, AlGaN, SiC, and so on. Finally, we highlight the current challenges and prospects of heterointegrating 2DLMs with traditional 3D semiconductors toward photodetection applications. image

Two-dimensional （2D） layered materials, transition-metal dichalcogenides, and black phosphorus have attracted considerable interest from the viewpoints of fundamental physics and device applications. The establishment of new functionalities in anisotropic layered 2D materials is a challenging but rewarding frontier, owing to the remarkable optical properties of these materials and their prospects for new devices. Herein, we report the anisotropic and thickness- dependent optical properties of a 2D layered monochalcogenide of germanium sulfide （GeS）. Three Raman-scattering peaks corresponding to the B3g,, A1g, and A2g modes with a strong polarization dependence are demonstrated in the GeS flakes, which validates polarized Raman spectroscopy as an effective method for identifying the crystal orientation of anisotropic layered GeS. Photoluminescence （PL） is observed with a peak at -1.66 eV that originates from the direct optical transition in GeS at room temperature. The polarization-dependent characteristics of the PL, which are revealed for the first time, along with the demonstration of anisotropic absorption, indicate an obvious anisotropic optical transition near the band edge of GeS, which is supported by density functional theory calculations. The significantly thickness-dependent PL is observed and discussed. This anisotropic layered GeS presents opportunities for the discovery of new physical phenomena and will find applications that exploit its anisotropic properties, such as polarization-sensitive photodetectors.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials with atomic thickness are promising candidates for the applications in future semiconductor devices, owing to their fascinating physical properties and superlative optoelectronic performance. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is considered to be an efficiënt method for large-scale preparation of 2D materials toward practical applications. However, the high melting points of metal precursors and the thermodynamics instabilities of metastable phases limit the direct CVD synthesis of plenty of 2D materials. The salt has recently been introduced into the CVD process, which proved to be effective to address these issues. In this review, we highlighted the latest progress in the salt-assisted CVD growth of 2D materials, including layered and non-layered crystals. Firstly, strategies of adding salts are summarized. Then, the salt-assisted growth of various layered materials is presented, emphasizing on the transition metal chalcogenides of stable and metastable phases. Furthermore, strategies to grow ultrathin non-layered materials are discussed. We provide viewpoints into the techniques of using salt, the effects of salt, and the growth mechanisms of 2D crystals. Finally, we offer the challenges to be overcome and further research directions of this emerging salt-assisted CVD technique.

Spin‐orbit torque (SOT) opens an efficient and versatile avenue for the electrical manipulation of magnetization in spintronic devices. The enhancement of SOT efficiency and reduction of power consumption are key points for the implementation of high‐performance SOT devices, which strongly rely on the spin‐orbit coupling (SOC) strength and magnetic properties of ferromagnetic/non‐magnetic heterostructures. Recently, van der Waals‐layered materials have shown appealing properties for use in efficient SOT applications. On the one hand, transition‐metal dichalcogenides, topological insulators, and graphene‐based heterostructures possess appreciable SOC strength. This feature can efficiently converse the charge current into spin current and result in large SOT. On the other hand, the newly discovered layered magnetic materials provide ultra‐thin and gate‐tunable ferromagnetic candidates for high‐performance SOT devices. In this review, the latest advancements of SOT research in various layered materials are summarized. First, a brief introduction of SOT is given. Second, SOT studies of various layered materials and heterostructures are summarized. Subsequently, progresses on SOT‐induced magnetization switching are presented. Finally, current challenges and prospects for future development are suggested. Van der Waals‐layered materials and heterostructures show appealing advantages in improving spin‐orbit torque (SOT) efficiency. The recent SOT researches in various 2D materials are outlined. The current challenges and the future directions are also discussed. Van der Waals‐layered materials and heterostructures are expected to provide unprecedented opportunities in the fields of spintronics.

This book provides a concise overview of recent advances in the engineering and structural modification of 2D materials at the nanoscale, as well as their applications in electrocatalytic applications.

Optical modulation technique plays a crucial role in photonics technologies, and there is an ever-increasing demand for broadband and ultrafast optical modulation in the era of artificial intelligence. All-optical modulation is known to be able to operate in an ultrafast way and has a broadband response, showing great potential in applications for ultrafast information processing and photonic computing. Two-dimensional (2D) materials with exotic optoelectronic properties bring tremendous new opportunities for all-optical modulators with excellent performance, which have attracted lots of attention recently. In this review, we cover the state-of-art all-optical modulation based on 2D materials, including graphene, transitional metal dichalcogenides, phosphorus, and other novel 2D materials. We present the operations mechanism of different types of all-optical modulators with various configurations, such as fiber-integrated and free-space ones. We also discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by all-optical modulation, as well as offer some future perspectives for the development of all-optical modulation based on 2D materials.

The cation antisite is the most recognizable intrinsic defect type in nickel‐rich layered and olivine‐type cathode materials for lithium‐ion batteries, and important for electrochemical/thermal performance. While how to generate the favorable antisite has not been put forward, herein, by combining first‐principles calculation with neutron powder diffraction (NPD) study, a defect inducing the favorable antisite mechanism is proposed to improve cathode stability, that is, halogen substitution facilitates the neighboring Li and Ni atoms to exchange their sites, forming a more stable local octahedron of halide (LOSH). According to the mechanism, it is demonstrated by NPD that F‐doping not only induces the antisite formation in layered LiNi0.85Co0.075Mn0.075O2 (LNCM), but also increases the antisite concentration linearly. F substitution (1%) induces 5.7% antisite, and it displays an excellent capacity retention of 94% at 1 C for 200 cycles under 25 °C, outstanding high temperature cyclability (153.4 mAh·g–1 at 1 C for 120 cycles under 55 °C). The onset decomposition temperature increases by 48 °C. The ultrahigh cycling/thermal stability is attributed to the stronger LOSH, and it keeps the structural integrity after long cycling and develops an electrostatic repulsion force between oxygen layers to increase the lattice parameter c, which benefits Li‐ion migration. A mechanism of the favorable antisite induced by bulk halogen‐doping to form a more stable local octahedron structure of halide (LOSH) [(Ni2Li1)‐halogen‐(Li2Ni1)] in Ni‐rich layered cathode for lithium‐ion batteries is proposed. The LiNi0.85Co0.075Mn0.075O2 cathode including the moderate antisite displays an ultrahigh cycling/thermal stability due to the favorable antisite in the stronger LOSH, and keeps the structural integrity after long cycling.

Nowadays, realizing miniaturized nonlinear optical (NLO) device is crucial to meet the growing needs in on-chip nanophotonics as well as compact integrated devices. The strong optical nonlinearities, ultrafast photoexcitation dynamics, available exciton effects as well as without lattice matching make two-dimensional (2D) layered materials potential candidates for integrated and nano-scale NLO devices. Herein, a novel and inversion symmetry broken 2D layered SnP 2 S 6 with strong second-harmonic and third-harmonic response has been reported for the first time. The second-order susceptibility ( χ (2) ) of SnP 2 S 6 flakes can reach up to 4.06 × 10 −9 m·V −1 under 810 nm excitation wavelength, which is around 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than that of most reported 2D materials. In addition, the NLO response of 2D SnP 2 S 6 can break through the limitation of odd/even layers and exhibit broadband spectral response. Moreover, since the second-harmonic signal is closely related to structure variation, the second-harmonic response in 2D SnP 2 S 6 is extremely sensitive to polarization angle and temperature, which is beneficial to some specific applications. The excellent NLO response in 2D SnP 2 S 6 provides a new arena for realizing miniaturized NLO devices in the future.

To speed up the implementation of the two-dimensional materials in the development of potential biomedical applications, the toxicological aspects toward human health need to be addressed. Due to time-consuming and expensive analysis, only part of the continuously expanding family of 2D materials can be tested in vitro. The machine learning methods can be used—by extracting new insights from available biological data sets, and provide further guidance for experimental studies. This study identifies the most relevant highly surface-specific features that might be responsible for cytotoxic behavior of 2D materials, especially MXenes. In particular, two factors, namely, the presence of transition metal oxides and lithium atoms on the surface, are identified as cytotoxicity-generating features. The developed machine learning model succeeds in predicting toxicity for other 2D MXenes, previously not tested in vitro, and hence, is able to complement the existing knowledge coming from in vitro studies. Thus, we claim that it might be one of the solutions for reducing the number of toxicological studies needed, and allows for minimizing failures in future biological applications.