Electrical and optical properties of transition metal dichalcogenides on talc dielectrics.

Advanced van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure devices rely on the incorporation of high quality dielectric materials which need to possess a low defect density as well as being atomically smooth and uniform. In this work we explore the use of talc dielectrics as a potentially clean alternative substrate to hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) for few-layer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) transistors and excitonic TMDC monolayers. We find that talc dielectric transistors show small hysteresis which does not depend strongly on sweep rate and show negligible leakage current for our studied dielectric thicknesses.

Electrical tuning of optically active interlayer excitons in bilayer MoS.

Interlayer (IL) excitons, comprising electrons and holes residing in different layers of van der Waals bonded two-dimensional semiconductors, have opened new opportunities for room-temperature excitonic devices. So far, two-dimensional IL excitons have been realized in heterobilayers with type-II band alignment. However, the small oscillator strength of the resulting IL excitons and difficulties with producing heterostructures with definite crystal orientation over large areas have challenged the practical applicability of this design.

Heterostructures formed through abraded van der Waals materials.

To fully exploit van der Waals materials and their vertically stacked heterostructures, new mass-scalable production routes which are low cost but preserve the high electronic and optical quality of the single crystals are required. Here, we demonstrate an approach to realise a variety of functional heterostructures based on van der Waals nanocrystal films produced through the mechanical abrasion of bulk powders. We find significant performance enhancements in abraded heterostructures compared to those fabricated through inkjet printing of nanocrystal dispersions.

Nutrient absorption.

Many advances in the study of nutrient absorption have been made with the use of molecular and genetic techniques; however, standard in vivo studies have provided interesting and important new information. Omega-3 long-chain fatty acids have unexpected effects on lipoprotein formation and secretion in neonatal intestinal cells; this needs to be considered in the modification of infant formulas. Rexinoids affect intestinal cholesterol homeostasis via two receptors: retinoic acid receptor/liver X receptor (cholesterol efflux to lumen) and retinoic acid receptor/farnesoid X receptor (cholesterol catabolism).

Nutrient absorption.

Some key advances occurred last year in understanding mechanisms involved in nutrient absorption. A novel "prechylomicron transport vesicle" was identified; its movement to the Golgi is the rate-limiting step for triacylglycerol absorption. A scavenger receptor (type BI) in the brush border membrane appears to facilitate cholesterol uptake.