Directionally-Resolved Phononic Properties of Monolayer 2D Molybdenum Ditelluride (MoTe) under Uniaxial Elastic Strain.

Understanding the phonon characteristics of two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe) under strain is critical to manipulating its multiphysical properties. Although there have been numerous computational efforts to elucidate the strain-coupled phonon properties of monolayer MoTe, empirical validation is still lacking. In this work, monolayer 1H-MoTe under uniaxial strain is studied via micro-Raman spectroscopy.

Nanoscale goldbeating: Solid-state transformation of 0D and 1D gold nanoparticles to anisotropic 2D morphologies.

Goldbeating is the ancient craft of thinning bulk gold (Au) into gossamer leaves. Pioneered by ancient Egyptian craftsmen, modern mechanized iterations of this technique can fabricate sheets as thin as ∼100 nm. We take inspiration from this millennia-old craft and adapt it to the nanoscale regime, using colloidally synthesized 0D/1D Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) as highly ductile and malleable nanoscopic Au ingots and subjecting them to solid-state, uniaxial compression.