High-Yield Exfoliation of Stanene Nanodots for High-Performance Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Stanene nanodots (SnNDs) derived from layered tin have attracted considerable interest due to their conveniently tunable bandgap and topological superconductivity. However, high-yield exfoliation of ultrathin SnNDs is still a challenge due to the short layer spacing and strong binding energy. In this work, atomically thin SnNDs with a uniform size of 2.

Doped nanomaterial facilitates 3D printing target plate for rapid detection of alkaloids in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

This work aims to rapidly detect toxic alkaloids in traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) using laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). We systematically investigated twelve nanomaterials (NMs) as matrices and found that MoS and defect-rich-WO (D-WO) were the best NMs for alkaloid detection. MoS and D-WO can be used directly as matrices dipped onto conventional ground steel target plates.

Flexible optical limiters based on CuVSe nanocrystals.

Optical limiters are greatly needed to protect eyes and sensitive optoelectronic devices such as photodetectors and sensors from laser damage, but they are currently plagued by low efficiency. In this work, we utilized CuVSe nanocrystals (NCs) to enhance laser protection performance, and they exhibit higher saturation intensity and broader nonlinear spectral response extending into the near IR region than the C60 benchmark. A flexible optical limiter goggle prototype based on the NCs significantly attenuated the incident laser beam, with scan and scan measurements demonstrating a giant nonlinear absorption coefficient value of 1.

Associations of indoor carbon dioxide concentrations, air temperature, and humidity with perceived air quality and sick building syndrome symptoms in Chinese homes.

The indoor environment influences occupants' health. From March 1, 2018, to February 28, 2019, we continuously monitored indoor temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), and CO concentration in bedrooms via an online system in 165 residences that covered all five climate zones of China. Meanwhile, we asked one specific occupant in each home to complete questionnaires about perceived air quality and sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms at the end of each month.

2D materials towards ultrafast photonic applications.

Having accomplished progress in the versatile battlefields of optics, electronics, catalysis, etc., two-dimensional (2D) materials are now venturing and excelling in yet another arena of ultrafast photonics, a rapidly developing field encompassing a large range of important applications including optical modulation through optical limiting/mode-locking, photodetectors, optical communications, integrated miniaturized all-optical devices and so on. Our group has been devoted to building the arsenal of 2D materials with large third-order nonlinearities, including transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), carbon nitride, single-element materials from Group 15, 2D hybrids and vdW heterostructures.

Tunable nonlinear optical responses and carrier dynamics of two-dimensional antimonene nanosheets.

Sb nanosheets, also known as antimonene, have received ever-growing consideration as a promising new type of two-dimensional (2D) material due to their many attractive properties. However, how their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties are affected by their nanosheet structure and measurement conditions remains unclear. Herein, we report a successful size-selective production method for Sb nanosheets, which is based on a combination of lithium ion intercalation, solvent exfoliation and size selection centrifugation.

Disentangling the Luminescent Mechanism of CsPbBr Single Crystals from an Ultrafast Dynamics Perspective.

New all-inorganic perovskites like CsPbBr provide rich luminescent tools and particularly novel physical insights, including their zero-dimensional structure and controversial emitting mechanism. The ensuing debate over the origin of the luminescence of CsPbBr inspired us to tackle the issue through fabricating high-quality CsPbBr single crystals and employing ultrafast dynamics study. Upon photoexcitation, CsPbBr underwent dynamics steps distinct from that of CsPbBr, including exciton migration to the defect level on a time scale of several hundred femtoseconds, exciton relaxation within the defect states on the picosecond time scale, and exciton recombination from the subnanosecond to nanosecond time scale.

Iron-Doped Carbon Nitride-Type Polymers as Homogeneous Organocatalysts for Visible Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution.

Graphitic carbon nitrides have appeared as a new type of photocatalyst for water splitting, but their broader and more practical applications are oftentimes hindered by the insolubility or difficult dispersion of the material in solvents. We herein prepared novel two-dimensional (2D) carbon nitride-type polymers doped by iron under a mild one-pot method through preorganizing formamide and citric acid precursors into supramolecular structures, which eventually polycondensed into a homogeneous organocatalyst for highly efficient visible light-driven hydrogen evolution with a rate of ∼16.2 mmol g(-1) h(-1) and a quantum efficiency of 0.

Unexpected optical limiting properties from MoS2 nanosheets modified by a semiconductive polymer.

Direct solvent exfoliation of bulk MoS2 with the assistance of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) produces a novel two-dimensional organic/inorganic semiconductor hetero-junction. The obtained P3HT-MoS2 nanohybrid exhibits unexpected optical limiting properties in contrast to the saturated absorption behavior of both P3HT and MoS2, showing potential in future photoelectric applications.