Correction: Synthetic 2-D lead tin sulfide nanosheets with tuneable optoelectronic properties from a potentially scalable reaction pathway.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C8SC04018D.].

Synthetic 2-D lead tin sulfide nanosheets with tuneable optoelectronic properties from a potentially scalable reaction pathway.

Solventless thermolysis of molecular precursors followed by liquid phase exfoliation allows access to two-dimensional IV-VI semiconductor nanomaterials hitherto unreachable by a scalable processing pathway. Firstly, the use of metal dithiocarbamate precursors to produce bulk alloys in the series Pb Sn S (0 ≤ ≤ 1) by thermolysis is demonstrated. The bulk powders are characterised by powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy.

Monolayer-to-thin-film transition in supramolecular assemblies: the role of topological protection.

The ability to control the transition from a two-dimensional (2D) monolayer to the three-dimensional (3D) molecular structure in the growth of organic layers on surfaces is essential for the production of functional thin films and devices. This has, however, proved to be extremely challenging, starting from the currently limited ability to attain a molecular scale characterization of this transition. Here, through innovative application of low-dose electron diffraction and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (acTEM), combined with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we reveal the structural changes occurring as film thickness is increased from monolayer to tens of nanometers for supramolecular assembly of two prototypical benzenecarboxylic acids - terephthalic acid (TPA) and trimesic acid (TMA) - on graphene.

Determination of band offsets, hybridization, and exciton binding in 2D semiconductor heterostructures.

Combining monolayers of different two-dimensional semiconductors into heterostructures creates new phenomena and device possibilities. Understanding and exploiting these phenomena hinge on knowing the electronic structure and the properties of interlayer excitations. We determine the key unknown parameters in MoSe/WSe heterobilayers by using rational device design and submicrometer angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (μ-ARPES) in combination with photoluminescence.

Enhanced Photoluminescence of Solution-Exfoliated Transition Metal Dichalcogenides by Laser Etching.

Using a conventional Raman experimental apparatus, we demonstrate that the photoluminescent (PL) yield from ultrasonication-exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) (MoS and WS) can be increased by up to 8-fold by means of a laser etching procedure. This laser etching process allows us to controllably pattern and reduce the number of layers of the solution-exfoliated material, overcoming the key drawback to solvent-based exfoliation of two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials for applications in optoelectronics. The successful laser thinning of the exfoliated 2D crystals was investigated systematically by changes in both Raman and PL spectra.

Covalently Binding Atomically Designed Au9 Clusters to Chemically Modified Graphene.

Atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to identify individual Au9 clusters on a sulfur-functionalized graphene surface. The clusters were preformed in solution and covalently attached to the surface without any dispersion or aggregation. Comparison of the experimental images with simulations allowed the rotational motion, without lateral displacement, of individual clusters to be discerned, thereby demonstrating a robust covalent attachment of intact clusters to the graphene surface.

Adsorbate-induced curvature and stiffening of graphene.

The adsorption of the alkane tetratetracontane (TTC, C44H90) on graphene induces the formation of a curved surface stabilized by a gain in adsorption energy. This effect arises from a curvature-dependent variation of a moiré pattern due to the mismatch of the carbon-carbon separation in the adsorbed molecule and the period of graphene. The effect is observed when graphene is transferred onto a deformable substrate, which in our case is the interface between water layers adsorbed on mica and an organic solvent, but is not observed on more rigid substrates such as boron nitride.

Sulfur-functionalized graphene oxide by epoxide ring-opening.

The treatment of graphene oxide (GO) with potassium thioacetate followed by an aqueous work-up yields a new material via the ring-opening of the epoxide groups. The new material is a thiol-functionalized GO (GO-SH) which is able to undergo further functionalization. Reaction with butyl bromide gives another new material, GO-SBu, which shows significantly enhanced thermal stability compared to both GO and GO-SH.