Quasi-equilibrium growth of inch-scale single-crystal monolayer α-InSe on fluor-phlogopite.

Epitaxial growth of two-dimensional (2D) materials with uniform orientation has been previously realized by introducing a small binding energy difference between the two locally most stable orientations. However, this small energy difference can be easily disturbed by uncontrollable dynamics during the growth process, limiting its practical applications. Herein, we propose a quasi-equilibrium growth (QEG) strategy to synthesize inch-scale monolayer α-InSe single crystals, a semiconductor with ferroelectric properties, on fluor-phlogopite substrates.

Direct synthesis of controllable ultrathin heteroatoms-intercalated 2D layered materials.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have been studied in depth during the past two decades due to their unique structure and properties. Transition metal (TM) intercalation of layered materials have been proven as an effective way to introduce new physical properties, such as tunable 2D magnetism, but the direct growth of atomically thin heteroatoms-intercalated layered materials remains untapped. Herein, we directly synthesize various ultrathin heteroatoms-intercalated 2D layered materials (UHI-2DMs) through flux-assisted growth (FAG) approach.

Twisted Bilayer Graphene Induced by Intercalation.

Twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) has gained significant attention due to its unique physical and electronic properties. However, efficient fabrication of high-quality tBLG with diverse twist angles is crucial to expedite research on angle-dependent physics and potential applications. In this study, an intercalation strategy utilizing organic molecules, such as 1,2-dichloroethane, is developed to weaken the interlayer interaction and induce slide or rotation of the topmost graphene layer for tBLG fabrication.

Ultrasmooth and Dense Lithium Deposition Toward High-Performance Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Lithium (Li)-metal batteries (LMBs) with stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and dendrite-free formation have great potential in next-generation energy storage devices. Here, vertically aligned 3D Cu S nanosheet arrays are fabricated on the surface of commercial Cu foils, which in situ generate ultrathin Cu nanosheet arrays to reduce local current density and Li S layers on the surfaces to work as an excellent artificial SEI. It is found that Li presents a 3D-to-planar deposition model, and Li S layers are reversibly movable between the 3D nanosheet surface and 2D planar surface of Li during long-term cycling.

Thickness-Tunable Growth of Composition-Controllable Two-Dimensional FeGeTe.

Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials provide an ideal platform for investigating novel magnetism and spin behavior in low-dimensional systems while being restricted by the deficiency of accurate bottom-up synthesis. To overcome this difficulty, a facile and universal flux-assisted growth (FAG) method is proposed to synthesize the multicomponent FeGeTe ( = 3-5) with different Fe contents and even alloyed with hetero metal atoms. This one-to-one method ensures the stoichiometry consistency from the FeGeTe and MFeGeTe (M = Co, Ni) bulk crystal precursors to the 2D nanosheets, with controllable composition.

Electrochemical CO reduction to ethylene by ultrathin CuO nanoplate arrays.

Electrochemical reduction of CO to multi-carbon fuels and chemical feedstocks is an appealing approach to mitigate excessive CO emissions. However, the reported catalysts always show either a low Faradaic efficiency of the C product or poor long-term stability. Herein, we report a facile and scalable anodic corrosion method to synthesize oxygen-rich ultrathin CuO nanoplate arrays, which form Cu/CuO heterogeneous interfaces through self-evolution during electrocatalysis.

Anomalous thickness dependence of Curie temperature in air-stable two-dimensional ferromagnetic 1T-CrTe grown by chemical vapor deposition.

The discovery of ferromagnetic two-dimensional van der Waals materials has opened up opportunities to explore intriguing physics and to develop innovative spintronic devices. However, controllable synthesis of these 2D ferromagnets and enhancing their stability under ambient conditions remain challenging. Here, we report chemical vapor deposition growth of air-stable 2D metallic 1T-CrTe ultrathin crystals with controlled thickness.