Sulfur isotope engineering in heterostructures of transition metal dichalcogenides.

Heterostructuring of two-dimensional materials offers a robust platform to precisely tune optoelectronic properties through interlayer interactions. Here we achieved a strong interlayer coupling in a double-layered heterostructure of sulfur isotope-modified adjacent MoS monolayers two-step chemical vapor deposition growth. The strong interlayer coupling in the MoS(S)/MoS(S) was affirmed by low-frequency shear and breathing modes in the Raman spectra.

The Importance of Catalytic Effects in Hot-Electron-Driven Chemical Reactions.

Hot electrons (HEs) represent out-of-equilibrium carriers that are capable of facilitating reactions which are inaccessible under conventional conditions. Despite the similarity of the HE process to catalysis, optimization strategies such as orbital alignment and adsorption kinetics have not received significant attention in enhancing the HE-driven reaction yield. Here, we investigate catalytic effects in HE-driven reactions using a compositional catalyst modification (CCM) approach.

Graphene-Templated Achiral Hybrid Perovskite for Circularly Polarized Light Sensing.

This study points out the importance of the templating effect in hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite semiconductors grown on graphene. By combining two achiral materials, we report the formation of a chiral composite heterostructure with electronic band splitting. The effect is observed through circularly polarized light emission and detection in a graphene/α-CH(NH)PbI perovskite composite, at ambient temperature and without a magnetic field.

Addressing Individual Layers and Their Optical Properties in Artificial MoS Bilayers via Sulfur Isotope Labeling.

The physicochemical properties of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures are driven by the delicate interactions between the individual layers in a multilayer stack. While addressing the monolayers of different compositions in the multilayer is feasible, exploring the intrinsic properties of the monolayers of the same composition within a multilayer is extremely challenging. This becomes of utmost importance in energy conversion and storage concepts based on layered vdW materials.

Interface and Morphology Engineered Amorphous Si for Ultrafast Electrochemical Lithium Storage.

Ultrafast high-capacity lithium-ion batteries are extremely desirable for portable electronic devices, where Si is the most promising alternative to the conventional graphite anode due to its very high theoretical capacity. However, the low electronic conductivity and poor Li-diffusivity limit its rate capability. Moreover, high volume expansion/contraction upon Li-intake/uptake causes severe pulverization of the electrode, leading to drastic capacity fading.