Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) Coupled With Zero-Dimensional Nanomaterials (0D NMs) for Advanced Photodetection.

The integration of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with other materials presents a promising approach to overcome inherent limitations and enable the development of novel functionalities. In particular, 0D nanomaterials (0D NMs) offer notable advantages for photodetection, including broadband light absorption, size-dependent optoelectronic properties, high quantum efficiency, and good compatibility. Herein, the integration of 0D NMs with 2D TMDs to develop high-performance photodetectors is reviewed.

Boosting Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Growth by Hydrogen-Free Ramping during Chemical Vapor Deposition.

The controlled vapor-phase synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is essential for functional applications. While chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques have been successful for transition metal sulfides, extending these methods to selenides and tellurides often faces challenges due to uncertain roles of hydrogen (H) in their synthesis. Using CVD growth of MoSe as an example, this study illustrates the role of a H-free environment during temperature ramping in suppressing the reduction of MoO, which promotes effective vaporization and selenization of the Mo precursor to form MoSe monolayers with excellent crystal quality.

Phase/Interfacial-Engineered Two-Dimensional-Layered WSe Films by a Plasma-Assisted Selenization Process: Modulation of Oxygen Vacancies in Resistive Random-Access Memory.

Here, we propose phase and interfacial engineering by inserting a functional WO layer and selenized it to achieve a 2D-layered WSe/WO heterolayer structure by a plasma-assisted selenization process. The 2D-layered WSe/WO heterolayer was coupled with an AlO film as a resistive switching (RS) layer to form a hybrid structure, with which Pt and W films were used as the top and bottom electrodes, respectively. The device with good uniformity in SET/RESET voltage and high low-/high-resistance window can be obtained by controlling a conversion ratio from a WO film to a 2D-layered WSe thin film.

Ecofriendly Synthesis of Waste-Tire-Derived Graphite Nanoflakes by a Low-Temperature Electrochemical Graphitization Process toward a Silicon-Based Anode with a High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery.

Here, the successful transformation of graphitic carbon with a high degree of graphitization and a nanoflake structure from pyrolytic tire carbon black was demonstrated. First, amorphous carbon black with a porous structure was obtained after pyrolysis and simple preacid treatments. Subsequently, the carbon black was converted into a highly graphitic structure at a relatively low temperature (850 °C) through a facile electrochemical route using molten salt, which is ecofriendly and has high potential for large-scale graphitization compared to conventional incineration techniques.

Intercalation of Zinc Monochloride Cations by Deep Eutectic Solvents for High-Performance Rechargeable Non-aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries.

Zinc ion batteries have been extensively studied with an aqueous electrolyte system. However, the batteries suffer from a limited potential window, gas evolution, cathode dissolution, and dendrite formation on the anode. Considering these limitations, we developed an alternative electrolyte system based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) because of their low cost, high stability, biodegradability, and non-flammability, making them optimal candidates for sustainable batteries.

Targeted integration of EpCAM-specific CAR in human induced pluripotent stem cells and their differentiation into NK cells.

Background: Redirection of natural killer (NK) cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) is attractive in developing off-the-shelf CAR therapeutics for cancer treatment. However, the site-specific integration of a CAR gene into NK cells remains challenging.

Methods: In the present study, we genetically modified human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with a zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology to introduce a cDNA encoding an anti-EpCAM CAR into the adeno-associated virus integration site 1, a "safe harbour" for transgene insertion into human genome, and next differentiated the modified iPSCs into CAR-expressing iNK cells.

Highly stable Pd/HNbO-based flexible humidity sensor for perdurable wireless wearable applications.

Real-time, daily health monitoring can provide large amounts of patient data, which may greatly improve the likelihood of diagnosing health conditions at an early stage. One potential sensor is a flexible humidity sensor to monitor moisture and humidity information such as dehydration. However, achieving a durable functional nanomaterial-based flexible humidity sensor remains a challenge due to partial desorption of water molecules during the recovery process, especially at high humidities.

Design of Core-Shell Quantum Dots-3D WS Nanowall Hybrid Nanostructures with High-Performance Bifunctional Sensing Applications.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have recently attracted a tremendous amount of attention owing to their superior optical and electrical properties as well as the interesting and various nanostructures that are created by different synthesis processes. However, the atomic thickness of TMDCs limits the light absorption and results in the weak performance of optoelectronic devices, such as photodetectors. Here, we demonstrate the approach to increase the surface area of TMDCs by a one-step synthesis process of TMDC nanowalls from WO into three-dimensional (3D) WS nanowalls.

Three-Dimensional Molybdenum Diselenide Helical Nanorod Arrays for High-Performance Aluminum-Ion Batteries.

The rechargeable aluminum-ion battery (AIB) is a promising candidate for next-generation high-performance batteries, but its cathode materials require more development to improve their capacity and cycling life. We have demonstrated the growth of MoSe three-dimensional helical nanorod arrays on a polyimide substrate by the deposition of Mo helical nanorod arrays followed by a low-temperature plasma-assisted selenization process to form novel cathodes for AIBs. The binder-free 3D MoSe-based AIB shows a high specific capacity of 753 mAh g at a current density of 0.

Nanoprobing of MoS by Synchrotron Radiation When van der Waals Epitaxy Is Locally Invalid.

In this work, we demonstrated nano-scaled Laue diffractions by a focused polychromatic synchrotron radiation beam to discover what happens in MoS when van der Waals epitaxy is locally invalid. A stronger exciton recombination with a local charge depletion in the density of 1 × 10 cm, extrapolated by Raman scattering and photoluminescence, occurs in grains, which exhibits a preferred orientation of 30° rotation with respect to the -plane of a sapphire substrate. Else, the charge doping and trion recombination dominate instead.

High-Performance Rechargeable Aluminum-Selenium Battery with a New Deep Eutectic Solvent Electrolyte: Thiourea-AlCl.

Aluminum-sulfur batteries (ASBs) have attracted substantial interest due to their high theoretical specific energy density, low cost, and environmental friendliness, while the traditional sulfur cathode and ionic liquid have very fast capacity decay, limiting cycling performance because of the sluggishly electrochemical reaction and side reactions with the electrolyte. Herein, we demonstrate, for the first time, excellent rechargeable aluminum-selenium batteries (ASeBs) using a new deep eutectic solvent, thiourea-AlCl, as an electrolyte and Se nanowires grown directly on a flexible carbon cloth substrate (Se NWs@CC) by a low-temperature selenization process as a cathode. Selenium (Se) is a chemical analogue of sulfur with higher electronic conductivity and lower ionization potential that can improve the battery kinetics on the sluggishly electrochemical reaction and the reduction of the polarization where the thiourea-AlCl electrolyte can stabilize the side reaction during the reversible conversion reaction of Al-Se alloying processes during the charge-discharge process, yielding a high specific capacity of 260 mAh g at 50 mA g and a long cycling life of 100 times with a high Coulombic efficiency of nearly 93% at 100 mA g.

Direct Synthesis of Large-Scale Multilayer TaSe on SiO/Si Using Ion Beam Technology.

The multilayer 1T-TaSe is successfully synthesized by annealing a Se-implanted Ta thin film on the SiO/Si substrate. Material analyses confirm the 1T (octahedral) structure and the quasi-2D nature of the prepared TaSe. Temperature-dependent resistivity reveals that the multilayer 1T-TaSe obtained by our method undergoes a commensurate charge-density wave (CCDW) transition at around 500 K.

3D CoMoSe Nanosheet Arrays Converted Directly from Hydrothermally Processed CoMoO Nanosheet Arrays by Plasma-Assisted Selenization Process Toward Excellent Anode Material in Sodium-Ion Battery.

In this work, three-dimensional (3D) CoMoSe nanosheet arrays on network fibers of a carbon cloth denoted as CoMoSe@C converted directly from CoMoO nanosheet arrays prepared by a hydrothermal process followed by the plasma-assisted selenization at a low temperature of 450 °C as an anode for sodium-ion battery (SIB) were demonstrated for the first time. With the plasma-assisted treatment on the selenization process, oxygen (O) atoms can be replaced by selenium (Se) atoms without the degradation on morphology at a low selenization temperature of 450 °C. Owing to the high specific surface area from the well-defined 3D structure, high electron conductivity, and bi-metal electrochemical activity, the superior performance with a large sodium-ion storage of 475 mA h g under 0.

Derivation of mimetic γδ T cells endowed with cancer recognition receptors from reprogrammed γδ T cell.

Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to derive chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CAR-T) cells has great industrial potential. A previous study used αβ T cell-derived CAR-modified iPSCs to produce CAR-T cells. However, these αβ T cells are restricted to autologous use and only recognize single cancer antigen.

Enhanced Photocarrier Generation with Selectable Wavelengths by M-Decorated-CuInS Nanocrystals (M = Au and Pt) Synthesized in a Single Surfactant Process on MoS Bilayers.

A facile approach for the synthesis of Au- and Pt-decorated CuInS nanocrystals (CIS NCs) as sensitizer materials on the top of MoS bilayers is demonstrated. A single surfactant (oleylamine) is used to prepare such heterostructured noble metal decorated CIS NCs from the pristine CIS. Such a feasible way to synthesize heterostructured noble metal decorated CIS NCs from the single surfactant can stimulate the development of the functionalized heterostructured NCs in large scale for practical applications such as solar cells and photodetectors.

Generation of "Off-the-Shelf" Natural Killer Cells from Peripheral Blood Cell-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Current donor cell-dependent strategies can only produce limited "made-to-order" therapeutic natural killer (NK) cells for limited patients. To provide unlimited "off-the-shelf" NK cells that serve many recipients, we designed and demonstrated a holistic manufacturing scheme to mass-produce NK cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Starting with a highly accessible human cell source, peripheral blood cells (PBCs), we derived a good manufacturing practice-compatible iPSC source, PBC-derived iPSCs (PBC-iPSCs) for this purpose.

Genetic rearrangements of variable di-residue (RVD)-containing repeat arrays in a baculoviral TALEN system.

Virus-derived gene transfer vectors have been successfully employed to express the transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) in mammalian cells. Since the DNA-binding domains of TALENs consist of the variable di-residue (RVD)-containing tandem repeat modules and virus genome with repeated sequences is susceptible to genetic recombination, we investigated several factors that might affect TALEN cleavage efficiency of baculoviral vectors. Using a TALEN system designed to target the AAVS1 locus, we observed increased sequence instability of the TALE repeat arrays when a higher multiplicity of infection (MOI) of recombinant viruses was used to produce the baculoviral vectors.