Can structure influence hydrovoltaic energy generation? Insights from the metallic 1T' and semiconducting 2H phases of MoS.

Hydrovoltaic power generation from liquid water and ambient moisture has attracted considerable research efforts. However, there is still limited consensus on the optimal material properties required to maximize the power output. Here, we used laminates of two different phases of layered MoS - metallic 1T' and semiconducting 2H - as representative systems to investigate the critical influence of specific characteristics, such as hydrophilicity, interlayer channels, and structure, on the hydrovoltaic performance.

Angstrom Scale Ionic Memristors' Engineering with van der Waals Materials: A Route to Highly Tunable Memory States.

Memristors that mimic brain functions are crucial for energy-efficient neuromorphic devices. Ion channels that emulate biological synapses are still in the early stages of development, especially the tunability of memory states. Here, we demonstrate that cations such as K, Na, Ca, and Al intercalated in the interlayer spaces of vermiculite result in highly confined channels of size 3-5 Å.

Perfect proton selectivity in ion transport through two-dimensional crystals.

Defect-free monolayers of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride are surprisingly permeable to thermal protons, despite being completely impenetrable to all gases. It remains untested whether small ions can permeate through the two-dimensional crystals. Here we show that mechanically exfoliated graphene and hexagonal boron nitride exhibit perfect Nernst selectivity such that only protons can permeate through, with no detectable flow of counterions.

Complete steric exclusion of ions and proton transport through confined monolayer water.

It has long been an aspirational goal to create artificial structures that allow fast permeation of water but reject even the smallest hydrated ions, replicating the feat achieved by nature in protein channels (e.g., aquaporins).