Plasmonic hot electron induced structural phase transition in a MoS2 monolayer

Heterogeneous Nanostructure Based on 1T-Phase MoS2 for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

As an electrocatalyst, conventional 2H-phase MoS₂ suffers from limited active sites and inherently low electroconductivity. Phase transitions from 2H to 1T have been proposed as an effective strategy for optimization of the catalytic activity. However, complicated chemical exfoliation is generally involved. Here, MoS₂ heterogeneous-phase nanosheets with a 1T phase (1T/2H-MoS₂) generated in situ were prepared through a facile hydrothermal method. The locally introduced 1T-phase MoS₂ can not only contribute more active sites but also markedly promote the electronic conductivity. Because of this unique structure, the as-synthesized 1T/2H-MoS₂ nanosheets exhibit remarkable performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction with a small overpotential of 220 mV at 10 mA/cm², a small Tafel slope of 61 mV/decade, and robust stability. This work facilitates the development of a two-dimensional heterogeneous nanostructure with enhanced applications.

Plasmonics of 2D Nanomaterials: Properties and Applications

Plasmonics has developed for decades in the field of condensed matter physics and optics. Based on the classical Maxwell theory, collective excitations exhibit profound light-matter interaction properties beyond classical physics in lots of material systems. With the development of nanofabrication and characterization technology, ultra-thin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials attract tremendous interest and show exceptional plasmonic properties. Here, we elaborate the advanced optical properties of 2D materials especially graphene and monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), review the plasmonic properties of graphene, and discuss the coupling effect in hybrid 2D nanomaterials. Then, the plasmonic tuning methods of 2D nanomaterials are presented from theoretical models to experimental investigations. Furthermore, we reveal the potential applications in photocatalysis, photovoltaics and photodetections, based on the development of 2D nanomaterials, we make a prospect for the future theoretical physics and practical applications.

Giant Enhancement of Defect-Bound Exciton Luminescence and Suppression of Band-Edge Luminescence in Monolayer WSe2-Ag Plasmonic Hybrid Structures

We have investigated how the photoluminescence (PL) of WSe₂ is modified when coupled to Ag plasmonic structures at low temperature. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown monolayer WSe₂ flakes were transferred onto a Ag film and a Ag nanotriangle array that had a 1.5 nm Al₂O₃ capping layer. Using low-temperature (7.5 K) micro-PL mapping, we simultaneously observed enhancement of the defect-bound exciton emission and quenching of the band edge exciton emission when the WSe₂ was on a plasmonic structure. The enhancement of the defect-bound exciton emission was significant with enhancement factors of up to ∼200 for WSe₂ on the nanotriangle array when compared to WSe₂ on a 1.5 nm Al₂O₃ capped Si substrate with a 300 nm SiO₂ layer. The giant enhancement of the luminescence from the defect-bound excitons is understood in terms of the Purcell effect and increased light absorption. In contrast, the surprising result of luminescence quenching of the bright exciton state on the same plasmonic nanostructure is due to a rather unique electronic structure of WSe₂: the existence of a dark state below the bright exciton state.

Ag nanoparticles modified large area monolayer MoS2 phototransistors with high responsivity

Monolayer MoS₂ is considered to be one of the best candidates for next generation electronics because of its ultra-thin body and direct band gap. However, MoS₂ based transistors have relatively low photoresponsivity, field effect mobility and narrow response spectrum range, which hinder the application of MoS₂ in optoelectronic devices. Here, based on the enhancement of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), a simple method of depositing Ag nanoparticles on the MoS₂ surface is used. By adjusting the size of Ag nanoparticles, the response spectral range of phototransistor is broadened from red to near ultra-violet. The photoresponsivity gains an increase of 470% up to 2.97 × 10⁴ A W^-1 at 610 nm, and the response time also shows a decrease to some extent. The enhanced responsivity is comparable to those of devices encapsulated with high-quality dielectrics, and superior over other reported monolayer MoS₂ in ambient conditions. The high responsivity and working current enables a wide range of device applications. This work provides a viable route towards performance enhancement of two-dimensional phototransistors.

Long-Range Lattice Engineering of MoTe2 by a 2D Electride

Doping two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors beyond their degenerate levels provides the opportunity to investigate extreme carrier density-driven superconductivity and phase transition in 2D systems. Chemical functionalization and the ionic gating have achieved the high doping density, but their effective ranges have been limited to ∼1 nm, which restricts the use of highly doped 2D semiconductors. Here, we report on electron diffusion from the 2D electride [Ca₂N]⁺·e^- to MoTe₂ over a distance of 100 nm from the contact interface, generating an electron doping density higher than 1.6 × 10¹⁴ cm^-2 and a lattice symmetry change of MoTe₂ as a consequence of the extreme doping. The long-range lattice symmetry change, suggesting a length scale surpassing the depletion width of conventional metal-semiconductor junctions, was a consequence of the low work function (2.6 eV) with highly mobile anionic electron layers of [Ca₂N]⁺·e^-. The combination of 2D electrides and layered materials yields a novel material design in terms of doping and lattice engineering.

Manipulating Coherent Plasmon-Exciton Interaction in a Single Silver Nanorod on Monolayer WSe2

Strong coupling between plasmons and excitons in nanocavities can result in the formation of hybrid plexcitonic states. Understanding the dispersion relation of plexcitons is important both for fundamental quantum science and for applications including optoelectronics and nonlinear optics devices. The conventional approach, based on statistics over different nanocavities, suffers from large inhomogeneities from the samples, owing to the nonuniformity of nanocavities and the lack of control over the locations and orientations of the excitons. Here we report the first measurement of the dispersion relationship of plexcitons in an individual nanocavity. Using a single silver nanorod as a Fabry-Pérot nanocavity, we realize strong coupling of plasmon in single nanocavity with excitons in a single atomic layer of tungsten diselenide. The plexciton dispersion is measured by in situ redshifting the plasmon energy via successive deposition of a dielectric layer. Room-temperature formation of plexcitons with Rabi splittings as large as 49.5 meV is observed. The realization of strong plasmon-exciton coupling by in situ tuning of the plasmon provides a novel route for the manipulation of excitons in semiconductors.

Plasmon-Induced Nanolocalized Reduction of Diazonium Salts

Surface grafting from diazonium solutions triggered by localized surface plasmon has been investigated. An organic layer that is 20-30 nm thick is easily grafted onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by visible-light illumination in a few minutes without any reducing agent or molecular photocatalyst. Grafting depends on the wavelength and polarization of the incident light. As a consequence, the orientation of the growth of the layer deposited on the AuNPs can be controlled by polarized light. Grafting is also highly enhanced between adjacent AuNPs or at the corners of triangular AuNPs, that is, in plasmonic hot spots. These results clearly demonstrate plasmon enhancement and strongly suggest that the transfer of hot electrons from the excited plasmonic NPs to the diazonium is the main mechanism. They also confirm that localized surface plasmon resonance can induce nanolocalized electrochemical reactions, thus contributing to the field of "plasmonic electrochemistry".

Recent Advances in Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials

Since the discovery of mechanically exfoliated graphene in 2004, research on ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials has grown exponentially in the fields of condensed matter physics, material science, chemistry, and nanotechnology. Highlighting their compelling physical, chemical, electronic, and optical properties, as well as their various potential applications, in this Review, we summarize the state-of-art progress on the ultrathin 2D nanomaterials with a particular emphasis on their recent advances. First, we introduce the unique advances on ultrathin 2D nanomaterials, followed by the description of their composition and crystal structures. The assortments of their synthetic methods are then summarized, including insights on their advantages and limitations, alongside some recommendations on suitable characterization techniques. We also discuss in detail the utilization of these ultrathin 2D nanomaterials for wide ranges of potential applications among the electronics/optoelectronics, electrocatalysis, batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells, photocatalysis, and sensing platforms. Finally, the challenges and outlooks in this promising field are featured on the basis of its current development.

Shape-Controllable Gold Nanoparticle-MoS2 Hybrids Prepared by Tuning Edge-Active Sites and Surface Structures of MoS2 via Temporally Shaped Femtosecond Pulses

Edge-active site control of MoS₂ is crucial for applications such as chemical catalysis, synthesis of functional composites, and biochemical sensing. This work presents a novel nonthermal method to simultaneously tune surface chemical (edge-active sites) and physical (surface periodic micro/nano structures) properties of MoS₂ using temporally shaped femtosecond pulses, through which shape-controlled gold nanoparticles are in situ and self-assembly grown on MoS₂ surfaces to form Au-MoS₂ hybrids. The edge-active sites with unbound sulfurs of laser-treated MoS₂ drive the reduction of gold nanoparticles, while the surface periodic structures of laser-treated MoS₂ assist the shape-controllable growth of gold nanoparticles. The proposed novel method highlights the broad application potential of MoS₂; for example, these Au-MoS₂ hybrids exhibit tunable and highly sensitive SERS activity with an enhancement factor up to 1.2 × 10⁷, indicating the marked potential of MoS₂ in future chemical and biological sensing applications.

Tailoring MoS2 Exciton-Plasmon Interaction by Optical Spin-Orbit Coupling

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) monolayer as one of the atomic thickness two-dimensional materials has remarkable electronic and optical properties, which is an ideal candidate for a wide range of optoelectronic applications. However, the atomic monolayer thickness poses a significant challenge in MoS₂ photoluminescence emission due to weak light-matter interaction. Here, we investigate the MoS₂ exciton-plasmon interaction with spin-orbit coupling of light. The plasmonic spiral rings with subwavelength dimensions are designed and fabricated on hybrid substrates. MoS₂ photoluminescence enhancement can be actively controlled by changing the incident optical spin states, laser powers, and the nanospiral geometries, which is arising from the change of field enhancement at near-field region. Planar light-emitting devices based on spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effect were further realized and flexibly controlled by changing the polarization of light. The SOC effect is discussed by the accumulation of geometric and dynamic phases, which can be demonstrated and elaborated by the Majorana sphere model. Our results provide a way to manipulate MoS₂ light-matter interaction actively and can be further applied in the spin-dependent light-emitting devices at the nanoscale.

Energetics and kinetics of phase transition between a 2H and a 1T MoS2 monolayer-a theoretical study

Phase transitions between semiconducting 2H and metallic 1T (or 1T') molybdenum disulphides (MoS₂) are explored comprehensively by first-principles calculations. The nucleation of a 1T (or 1T') nucleus in a 2H MoS₂ lattice, the formation of the 2H-1T (1T') interfaces and the kinetics of interface propagation during phase transition were thoroughly investigated in this study. It was found that, among various potential interface structures between the two phases, Mo-rich and two S-rich zigzag (ZZ) boundaries are energetically more preferable than others. Therefore, triangular or hexagonal 1T MoS₂ domains with the three types of ZZ boundaries are expected to be the equilibrium structures of the 1T nucleus in a 2H lattice. Further exploration reveals a very high nucleation energy of the 1T phase which suggests that the nucleation may start from a defect site or the edge of the 2H phase. Besides, the kinetics of 2H-1T (1T') boundary propagation show that the growth rate of the ZZ boundaries is significantly slower than the armchair (AC) ones'. Therefore, the ZZ-boundary dominated domains are expected to be observed during the growth of the 1T phase while the rounded domains with various high-index edges are expected to be seen throughout shrinkage. This study reveals both the energetics and the kinetics of the phase transition of transition metal dichalcogenide materials and also sheds light on other 2D materials.

Hot electron-driven hydrogen evolution using anisotropic gold nanostructure assembled monolayer MoS2

Plasmonic nanostructures attracting particular interest in plasmon-induced highly energetic electrons, also known as hot electrons, play a fundamental role in photocatalysis for solar energy conversion. Plasmon-induced hot electron excitation, relaxation, transport, and injection to two-dimensional semiconductors are necessary to clearly understand the efficient plasmon-induced chemical reaction. Herein, we use a plasmonic photocatalyst composed of anisotropic gold nanostructures as the electron donor assembled on two-dimensional molybdenum dichalcogenide, monolayer MoS₂, as the electron acceptor in order to unveil the plasmon-induced interfacial hot electron transfer for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Single-particle confocal fluorescence microscopy, computational calculation of finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) simulation, and time-resolved transient absorption measurements revealed that anisotropic gold nanostructures with strong plasmon resonance exhibit interfacial hot electron transfer to monolayer MoS₂, giving the charge separated state with a long lifetime of 800 ps which is responsible for efficient HER. This is the first example to show the plasmon-induced interfacial hot electron transfer from anisotropic Au nanostructures to two-dimensional materials.

Highly thermal-stable paramagnetism by rolling up MoS2 nanosheets

Controlling phase transitions through local strain engineering is an exciting avenue for tailoring the electronic and magnetic properties of materials at the nanoscale. Herein, we demonstrate a tunable semiconducting to metallic phase transition of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides using strain engineering through rolled up MoS₂ sheets (named as MoS₂ scrolls). A phase incorporated structure for MoS₂ nanoscrolls containing the maximum concentration of 1T phase (∼58%) with high thermal stability up to 473 K can be produced by a gliding-rolling process for the S plane. These phase transitions are irreversible by virtue of the van der Waals interaction between the layers of the nanoscrolls, which is relatively stronger than the bending strain. A high concentration of the 1T phase can tune the bandgap through temperature, and also the magnetic property from nonmagnetic to paramagnetic MoS₂. This study, which is able to control phase transitions by strain engineering in the field of 2D materials, proves an exciting avenue for tailoring the novel functional properties of low-dimensional materials.

Enhanced photoresponse of ZnO quantum dot-decorated MoS2 thin films

This paper reports on high photo responsivity (R_λ ∼ 1913 AW⁻¹) of MoS₂ photodetector by decorating a thin layer of ZnO quantum dots on MoS₂.

Tailored performance of layered transition metal dichalcogenides via integration with low dimensional nanostructures

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with a unique sandwich structure have attracted tremendous attention in recent years due to their distinctive electrical and optical properties.

Highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction by strain and phase engineering in composites of Pt and MoS2 nano-scrolls

Our strategy begins with MoS₂ sheets decorated with Pt NPs and their scrolls (called MoS₂@Pt scrolls) with intrinsic bending strain (2.4%) to provide the phase transition from the 2H to the 1T phase (28%). MoS₂@Pt scrolls have the amount of Pt NPs (8.3 wt%) and high catalytic activity (39 mV per decade).

Enabling Ultrasensitive Photo-detection Through Control of Interface Properties in Molybdenum Disulfide Atomic Layers

The interfaces in devices made of two-dimensional materials such as MoS₂ can effectively control their optoelectronic performance. However, the extent and nature of these deterministic interactions are not fully understood. Here, we investigate the role of substrate interfaces on the photodetector properties of MoS₂ devices by studying its photocurrent properties on both SiO₂ and self-assembled monolayer-modified substrates. Results indicate that while the photoresponsivity of the devices can be enhanced through control of device interfaces, response times are moderately compromised. We attribute this trade-off to the changes in the electrical contact resistance at the device metal-semiconductor interface. We demonstrate that the formation of charge carrier traps at the interface can dominate the device photoresponse properties. The capture and emission rates of deeply trapped charge carriers in the substrate-semiconductor-metal regions are strongly influenced by exposure to light and can dynamically dope the contact regions and thus perturb the photodetector properties. As a result, interface-modified photodetectors have significantly lower dark-currents and higher on-currents. Through appropriate interfacial design, a record high device responsivity of 4.5 × 10³ A/W at 7 V is achieved, indicative of the large signal gain in the devices and exemplifying an important design strategy that enables highly responsive two-dimensional photodetectors.

Active gratings tuned by thermoplasmonics-induced phase transition in vanadium dioxide thin films

We propose and investigate an active grating of gold metallic structure on vanadium dioxide (VO₂) thin film illuminated by an intense light. Nonuniform phase transition in VO₂ film is expected due to the thermoplasmonics effect where the plasmonic-induced light absorption features an enhanced local heat generation at nanometer-scale. The spatial profiles of the electric field, the heat generation, and the temperature distribution, as well as the temperature-dependent dielectric parameters in VO₂ film, are solved numerically in a self-consistent manner. Our results show that the evolution of the metallic and semiconducting phases of VO₂ changes the effective dielectric environment of the grating and modifies its optical response in a controlled way. The interplay of the thermoplasmonics effect and the phase transition processes can thus provide another degree of freedom in designing optical modulators or switches which are remotely tunable via incident light.

Plasmonic Solar Cells: From Rational Design to Mechanism Overview

Plasmonic effects have been proposed as a solution to overcome the limited light absorption in thin-film photovoltaic devices, and various types of plasmonic solar cells have been developed. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art progress on the design and fabrication of plasmonic solar cells and their enhancement mechanism. The working principle is first addressed in terms of the combined effects of plasmon decay, scattering, near-field enhancement, and plasmonic energy transfer, including direct hot electron transfer and resonant energy transfer. Then, we summarize recent developments for various types of plasmonic solar cells based on silicon, dye-sensitized, organic photovoltaic, and other types of solar cells, including quantum dot and perovskite variants. We also address several issues regarding the limitations of plasmonic nanostructures, including their electrical, chemical, and physical stability, charge recombination, narrowband absorption, and high cost. Next, we propose a few potentially useful approaches that can improve the performance of plasmonic cells, such as the inclusion of graphene plasmonics, plasmon-upconversion coupling, and coupling between fluorescence resonance energy transfer and plasmon resonance energy transfer. This review is concluded with remarks on future prospects for plasmonic solar cell use.

Surface Charge Transfer Doping of Low-Dimensional Nanostructures toward High-Performance Nanodevices

Device applications of low-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures rely on the ability to rationally tune their electronic properties. However, the conventional doping method by introducing impurities into the nanostructures suffers from the low efficiency, poor reliability, and damage to the host lattices. Alternatively, surface charge transfer doping (SCTD) is emerging as a simple yet efficient technique to achieve reliable doping in a nondestructive manner, which can modulate the carrier concentration by injecting or extracting the carrier charges between the surface dopant and semiconductor due to the work-function difference. SCTD is particularly useful for low-dimensional nanostructures that possess high surface area and single-crystalline structure. The high reproducibility, as well as the high spatial selectivity, makes SCTD a promising technique to construct high-performance nanodevices based on low-dimensional nanostructures. Here, recent advances of SCTD are summarized systematically and critically, focusing on its potential applications in one- and two-dimensional nanostructures. Mechanisms as well as characterization techniques for the surface charge transfer are analyzed. We also highlight the progress in the construction of novel nanoelectronic and nano-optoelectronic devices via SCTD. Finally, the challenges and future research opportunities of the SCTD method are prospected.

Improving the luminescence enhancement of hybrid Au nanoparticle-monolayer MoS2 by focusing radially-polarized beams

Monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have grown as fantastic building blocks for optoelectronic applications, owing to their direct band gap, transparency, and mechanical flexibility. Since the luminescence of monolayer TMDs suffers from low light absorption and emission, surface plasmons, which confine light at subwavelength and enhance the local electric field, are utilized to boost both excitation and emission fields of TMDs, enabling strong light-matter interaction at the nano-scale. Meanwhile, radially-polarized beams (RPBs) as new and attractive excitation source have found many applications in surface plasmon polaritons, optical tweezer and so on. Here, by using RPBs, we demonstrate the photoluminescence (PL) enhancement of monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) hybridized with 210 nm-diameter gold nanoparticle (AuNP) is improved by about 1.37-fold compared with linearly-polarized beams (LPBs). Besides, the PL enhancement with RPBs depends on the size of AuNP as well. With 210nm-diameter AuNP, the PL enhancement is more than 1.5-fold higher than that with 60nm-diameter AuNP. This study highlights that RPBs are superior to LPBs for tuning the near-field system response and shows that RPBs drive a valuable avenue to further study the emerging two-dimentional materials.

Disentangling Multidimensional Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Adsorbates: CO Desorption from Cu(100)

Hot carriers at metal surfaces can drive nonthermal reactions of adsorbates. Characterizing nonequilibrium statistics among various degrees of freedom in an ultrafast time scale is crucial to understand and develop hot carrier-driven chemistry. Here we demonstrate multidimensional vibrational dynamics of carbon monoxide (CO) on Cu(100) along hot-carrier induced desorption studied by using time-resolved vibrational sum-frequency generation with phase-sensitive detection. Instantaneous frequency and amplitude of the CO internal stretching mode are tracked with a subpicosecond time resolution that is shorter than the vibrational dephasing time. These experimental results in combination with numerical analysis based on Langevin simulations enable us to extract nonequilibrium distributions of external vibrational modes of desorbing molecules. Superstatistical distributions are generated with mode-dependent frictional couplings in a few hundred femtoseconds after hot-electron excitation, and energy flow from hot electrons and intermode anharmonic coupling play crucial roles in the subsequent evolution of the non-Boltzman distributions.

Electron-Beam Induced Transformations of Layered Tin Dichalcogenides

By combining high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and associated analytical methods with first-principles calculations, we study the behavior of layered tin dichalcogenides under electron beam irradiation. We demonstrate that the controllable removal of chalcogen atoms due to electron irradiation, at both room and elevated temperatures, gives rise to transformations in the atomic structure of Sn-S and Sn-Se systems so that new phases with different properties can be induced. In particular, rhombohedral layered SnS2 and SnSe2 can be transformed via electron beam induced loss of chalcogen atoms into highly anisotropic orthorhombic layered SnS and SnSe. A striking dependence of the layer orientation of the resulting SnS-parallel to the layers of ultrathin SnS2 starting material, but slanted for transformations of thicker few-layer SnS2-is rationalized by a transformation pathway in which vacancies group into ordered S-vacancy lines, which convert via a Sn2S3 intermediate to SnS. Absence of a stable Sn2Se3 intermediate precludes this pathway for the selenides, hence SnSe2 always transforms into basal plane oriented SnSe. Our results provide microscopic insights into the transformation mechanism and show how irradiation can be used to tune the properties of layered tin chalcogenides for applications in electronics, catalysis, or energy storage.

Triggering comprehensive enhancement in oxygen evolution reaction by using newly created solvent

Theoretical calculations indicate that the properties of confined liquid water, or liquid water at surfaces, are dramatically different from those of liquid bulk water. Here we present an experimentally innovative strategy on comprehensively efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) utilizing plasmon-induced activated water, creating from hot electron decay at resonantly illuminated Au nanoparticles (NPs). Compared to conventional deionized (DI) water, the created water owns intrinsically reduced hydrogen-bonded structure and a higher chemical potential. The created water takes an advantage in OER because the corresponding activation energy can be effectively reduced by itself. Compared to DI water-based solutions, the OER efficiencies at Pt electrodes increased by 69.3%, 21.1% and 14.5% in created water-based acidic, neutral and alkaline electrolyte solutions, respectively. The created water was also effective for OERs in photoelectrochemically catalytic and in inert systems. In addition, the efficiency of OER increased by 47.5% in created water-based alkaline electrolyte solution prepared in situ on a roughened Au electrode. These results suggest that the created water has emerged as an innovative activator in comprehensively effective OERs.

Origin of Structural Transformation in Mono- and Bi-Layered Molybdenum Disulfide

Mono- and multi-layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is considered to be one of the next generation anode materials for rechargeable ion batteries. Structural transformation from trigonal prismatic (2H) to octahedral (1T) upon lithium or sodium intercalation has been in-situ observed experimentally using transmission electron microscope during studies of their electrochemical dynamics processes. In this work, we explored the fundamental mechanisms of this structural transformation in both mono- and bi-layered MoS2 using density functional theory. For the intercalated MoS2, the Li and Na donate their electrons to the MoS2. Based on the theoretical analysis, we confirmed that, for the first time, electron transfer is dominant in initiating this structural transformation, and the results provide an in-depth understanding of the transformation mechanism induced by the electron doping. The critical values of electron concentrations for this structural transformation are decreased with increasing the layer thickness.

Resonant surface plasmon-exciton interaction in hybrid MoSe2@Au nanostructures

In this work we investigate the interaction between plasmonic and excitonic resonances in hybrid MoSe2@Au nanostructures. The latter were fabricated by combining chemical vapor deposition of MoSe2 atomic layers, Au disk processing by nanosphere lithography and a soft lift-off/transfer technique. The samples were characterized by scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. Their optical properties were investigated experimentally using optical absorption, Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The work is focused on a resonant situation where the surface plasmon resonance is tuned to the excitonic transition. In that case, the near-field interaction between the surface plasmons and the confined excitons leads to interference between the plasmonic and excitonic resonances that manifests in the optical spectra as a transparency dip. The plasmonic-excitonic interaction regime is determined using quantitative analysis of the optical extinction spectra based on an analytical model supported by numerical simulations. We found that the plasmonic-excitonic resonances do interfere thus leading to a typical Fano lineshape of the optical extinction. The near-field nature of the plasmonic-excitonic interaction is pointed out experimentally from the dependence of the optical absorption on the number of monolayer stacks on the Au nanodisks. The results presented in this work contribute to the development of new concepts in the field of hybrid plasmonics.

Control of Radiative Exciton Recombination by Charge Transfer Induced Surface Dipoles in MoS2 and WS2 Monolayers

Due to the two dimensional confinement of electrons in a monolayer of 2D materials, the properties of monolayer can be controlled by electrical field formed on the monolayer surface. F₄TCNQ was evaporated on MoS₂ and WS₂ monolayer forming dipoles between strong acceptor, F₄TCNQ, and monolayers of MoS₂ or WS₂. The strong acceptor attracts electrons (charge transfer) and decreases the number of the ionized excitons. Free excitons undergo radiative recombination in both MoS₂ and WS₂. Moreover, the photoluminescence enhancement is stronger in WS₂ where the exciton-phonon coupling is weaker. The theoretical model indicates that the surface dipole controls the radiative exciton recombination and enhances photoluminescence radiation. Deposition of F₄TCNQ on the 2D monolayers enables a convenient control of the radiative exciton recombination and leads to the applications of these materials in lasers or LEDs.

Tuning the photo-response in monolayer MoS2 by plasmonic nano-antenna

Monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) has recently attracted intense interests due to its remarkable optical properties of valley-selected optical response, strong nonlinear wave mixing and photocurrent/photovoltaic generation and many corresponding potential applications. However, the nature of atomic-thin thickness of monolayer MoS₂ leads to inefficient light-matter interactions and thereby hinders its optoelectronic applications. Here we report on the enhanced and controllable photo-response in MoS₂ by utilizing surface plasmonic resonance based on metallic nano-antenna with characteristic lateral size of 40 × 80 nm. Our nano-antenna is designed to have one plasmonic resonance in the visible range and can enhance the MoS₂ photoluminescence intensity up to 10 folds. The intensity enhancement can be effectively tuned simply by the manipulation of incident light polarization. In addition, we can also control the oscillator strength ratio between exciton and trion states by controlling polarization dependent hot carrier doping in MoS₂. Our results demonstrate the possibility in controlling the photo-response in broad two-dimensional materials by well-designed nano-antenna and facilitate its coming optoelectronic applications.

2D Transition-Metal-Dichalcogenide-Nanosheet-Based Composites for Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Hydrogen (H2) is one of the most important clean and renewable energy sources for future energy sustainability. Nowadays, photocatalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) from water splitting are considered as two of the most efficient methods to convert sustainable energy to the clean energy carrier, H2. Catalysts based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are recognized as greatly promising substitutes for noble-metal-based catalysts for HER. The photocatalytic and electrocatalytic activities of TMD nanosheets for the HER can be further improved after hybridization with many kinds of nanomaterials, such as metals, oxides, sulfides, and carbon materials, through different methods including the in situ reduction method, the hot-injection method, the heating-up method, the hydro(solvo)thermal method, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and thermal annealing. Here, recent progress in photocatalytic and electrocatalytic HERs using 2D TMD-based composites as catalysts is discussed.

Chemical Vapor Deposition of Monolayer Mo(1-x)W(x)S2 Crystals with Tunable Band Gaps

Band gap engineering of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides, such as MoS₂ and WS₂, is essential for the applications of the two-dimensional (2D) crystals in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Although it is known that chemical mixture can evidently change the band gaps of alloyed Mo_1−xW_xS₂ crystals, the successful growth of Mo_1−xW_xS₂ monolayers with tunable Mo/W ratios has not been realized by conventional chemical vapor deposition. Herein, we developed a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LP-CVD) method to grow monolayer Mo_1−xW_xS₂ (x = 0–1) 2D crystals with a wide range of Mo/W ratios. Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy demonstrate the homogeneous mixture of Mo and W in the 2D alloys. Photoluminescence measurements show that the optical band gaps of the monolayer Mo_1−xW_xS₂ crystals strongly depend on the Mo/W ratios and continuously tunable band gap can be achieved by controlling the W or Mo portion by the LP-CVD.

Design of all-optical, hot-electron current-direction-switching device based on geometrical asymmetry

We propose a nano-scale current-direction-switching device(CDSD) that operates based on the novel phenomenon of geometrical asymmetry between two hot-electron generating plasmonic nanostructures. The proposed device is easy to fabricate and economical to develop compared to most other existing designs. It also has the ability to function without external wiring in nano or molecular circuitry since it is powered and controlled optically. We consider a such CDSD made of two dissimilar nanorods separated by a thin but finite potential barrier and theoretically derive the frequency-dependent electron/current flow rate. Our analysis takes in to account the quantum dynamics of electrons inside the nanorods under a periodic optical perturbation that are confined by nanorod boundaries, modelled as finite cylindrical potential wells. The influence of design parameters, such as geometric difference between the two nanorods, their volumes and the barrier width on quality parameters such as frequency-sensitivity of the current flow direction, magnitude of the current flow, positive to negative current ratio, and the energy conversion efficiency is discussed by considering a device made of Ag/TiO2/Ag. Theoretical insight and design guidelines presented here are useful for customizing our proposed CDSD for applications such as self-powered logic gates, power supplies, and sensors.

Self-Powered Broadband Photodetector using Plasmonic Titanium Nitride

We report the demonstration of plasmonic titanium nitride (TiN) for fabrication of an efficient hybrid photodetector. A novel synthesis method based on plasma nanotechnology is utilized for producing air stable plasma polymerized aniline-TiN (PPA-TiN) nanocomposite and its integration in photodetector geometry. The device performs as a self-powered detector that responds to ultraviolet and visible light at zero bias. The photodetector has the advantage of broadband absorption and outcomes an enhanced photoresponse including high responsivity and detectivity under low light conditions. This work opens up a new direction for plasmonic TiN-based hybrid nanocomposite and its exploitation in optoelectronic applications including imaging, light-wave communication and wire-free route for artificial vision.

Structural semiconductor-to-semimetal phase transition in two-dimensional materials induced by electrostatic gating

Dynamic control of conductivity and optical properties via atomic structure changes is of technological importance in information storage. Energy consumption considerations provide a driving force towards employing thin materials in devices. Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides are nearly atomically thin materials that can exist in multiple crystal structures, each with distinct electrical properties. By developing new density functional-based methods, we discover that electrostatic gating device configurations have the potential to drive structural semiconductor-to-semimetal phase transitions in some monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides. Here we show that the semiconductor-to-semimetal phase transition in monolayer MoTe2 can be driven by a gate voltage of several volts with appropriate choice of dielectric. We find that the transition gate voltage can be reduced arbitrarily by alloying, for example, for Mo(x)W(1-x)Te2 monolayers. Our findings identify a new physical mechanism, not existing in bulk materials, to dynamically control structural phase transitions in two-dimensional materials, enabling potential applications in phase-change electronic devices.

Localized and Continuous Tuning of Monolayer MoS2 Photoluminescence Using a Single Shape-Controlled Ag Nanoantenna

Localized photoluminescence manipulation of 1L-MoS2 is achieved by using single shape-controlled Ag nanoantenna. By varying the antenna morphology, the photoluminescence of 1L-MoS2 is continuously tunable from enhanced (>2-fold) to weakened (>2-fold) states. A heterogeneous optical platform is realized by depositing various antennas on the same 1L-MoS2 , with an unprecedented range of photoluminescence output being observed simultaneously.

Superconductivity in Potassium-Doped Metallic Polymorphs of MoS2

Superconducting layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) stand out among other superconductors due to the tunable nature of the superconducting transition, coexistence with other collective electronic excitations (charge density waves), and strong intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is the most studied representative of this family of materials, especially since the recent demonstration of the possibility to tune its critical temperature, Tc, by electric-field doping. However, just one of its polymorphs, band-insulator 2H-MoS2, has so far been explored for its potential to host superconductivity. We have investigated the possibility to induce superconductivity in metallic polytypes, 1T- and 1T'-MoS2, by potassium (K) intercalation. We demonstrate that at doping levels significantly higher than that required to induce superconductivity in 2H-MoS2, both 1T and 1T' phases become superconducting with Tc = 2.8 and 4.6 K, respectively. Unusually, K intercalation in this case is responsible both for the structural and superconducting phase transitions. By adding new members to the family of superconducting TMDs, our findings open the way to further manipulate and enhance the electronic properties of these technologically important materials.

Plasmon Field Effect Transistor for Plasmon to Electric Conversion and Amplification

Direct coupling of electronic excitations of optical energy via plasmon resonances opens the door to improving gain and selectivity in various optoelectronic applications. We report a new device structure and working mechanisms for plasmon resonance energy detection and electric conversion based on a thin film transistor device with a metal nanostructure incorporated in it. This plasmon field effect transistor collects the plasmonically induced hot electrons from the physically isolated metal nanostructures. These hot electrons contribute to the amplification of the drain current. The internal electric field and quantum tunneling effect at the metal-semiconductor junction enable highly efficient hot electron collection and amplification. Combined with the versatility of plasmonic nanostructures in wavelength tunability, this device architecture offers an ultrawide spectral range that can be used in various applications.

Mechanically-induced reverse phase transformation of MoS2from stable 2H to metastable 1T and its memristive behavior

The reverse phase transformation of MoS₂from stable 2H to metastable 1T could be mechanically induced by ball-milling. Furthermore, the mechanically generated 1T MoS₂exhibited memristive behavior.

Recent advances in transition-metal dichalcogenide based nanomaterials for water splitting

The desire for sustainable and clean energy future continues to be the concern of the scientific community. Researchers are incessantly targeting the development of scalable and abundant electro- or photo-catalysts for water splitting. Owing to their suitable band-gap and excellent stability, an enormous amount of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with hierarchical nanostructures have been extensively explored. Herein, we present an overview of the recent research progresses in the design, characterization and applications of the TMD-based electro- or photo-catalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution. Emphasis is given to the layered and pyrite-phase structured TMDs encompassing semiconducting and metallic nanomaterials. Illustrative results and the future prospects are pointed out. This review will provide the readers with insight into the state-of-the-art research progresses in TMD based nanomaterials for water splitting.

Effective Energy Transfer via Plasmon-Activated High-Energy Water Promotes Its Fundamental Activities of Solubility, Ionic Conductivity, and Extraction at Room Temperature

Water is a ubiquitous solvent in biological, physical, and chemical processes. Unique properties of water result from water's tetrahedral hydrogen-bonded (HB) network (THBN). The original THBN is destroyed when water is confined in a nanosized environment or localized at interfaces, resulting in corresponding changes in HB-dependent properties. In this work, we present an innovative idea to validate the reserve energy of high-energy water and applications of high-energy water to promote water's fundamental activities of solubility, ionic conductivity, and extraction at room temperature. High-energy water with reduced HBs was created by utilizing hot electrons with energies from the decay of surface plasmon excited at gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs). Compared to conventional deionized (DI) water, solubilities of alkali metal-chloride salts in high-energy water were significantly increased, especially for salts that release heat when dissolved. The ionic conductivity of NaCl in high-energy water was also markedly higher, especially when the electrolyte's concentration was extremely low. In addition, antioxidative components, such as polyphenols and 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-d-glucoside (THSG) from teas, and Polygonum multiflorum (PM), could more effectively be extracted using high-energy water. These results demonstrate that high-energy water has emerged as a promising innovative solvent for promoting water's fundamental activities via effective energy transfer.

Stretchable photo sensor using perylene/graphene composite on ridged polydimethylsiloxane substrate

To apply in wearable electronics, we propose a stretchable photo sensor that detects an inversely changed resistance by varying light intensity, which is stably operated up to 25% axial strain. Especially, the stretchabity of the proposed photo sensor is achived by using a uniform ridged substrate made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The proposed device is composed of a thin film of perylene/graphene composite, which is sandwiched between bottom and top indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrodes fabricated through electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) technique. The electrical conductivity of perylene is improved by blending graphene with it. The resistance of the proposed photo sensor changes from 108 MΩ to 87 MΩ within the light intensity range of 0 to 400 lux, respectively. Furthermore, the flexibility is verified through a bendability test from 16 mm down to 0 mm and a bending endurance test for more than 1000 cycles. Uniform and smooth deposition of the active layer is tested through surface morphology characterization.

Selective Amplification of the Primary Exciton in a MoS_{2} Monolayer

Optoelectronics applications for transition-metal dichalcogenides are still limited by weak light absorption and their complex exciton modes are easily perturbed by varying excitation conditions because they are inherent in atomically thin layers. Here, we propose a method of selectively amplifying the primary exciton (A^{0}) among the exciton complexes in monolayer MoS_{2} via cyclic reexcitation of cavity-free exciton-coupled plasmon propagation. This was implemented by partially overlapping a Ag nanowire on a MoS_{2} monolayer separated by a thin SiO_{2} spacer. Exciton-coupled plasmons in the nanowire enhance the A^{0} radiation in MoS_{2}. The cumulative amplification of emission enhancement by cyclic plasmon traveling reaches approximately twentyfold selectively for the A^{0}, while excluding other B exciton and multiexciton by significantly reduced band filling, without oscillatory spectra implying plasmonic cavity effects.

Spatially, Temporally, and Quantitatively Controlled Delivery of Broad Range of Molecules into Selected Cells through Plasmonic Nanotubes

A Universal plasmonic/microfluidic platform for spatial and temporal controlled intracellular delivery is described. The system can inject/transfect the desired amount of molecules with an efficacy close to 100%. Moreover, it is highly scalable from single cells to large ensembles without administering the molecules to an extracellular bath. The latter enables quantitative control over the amount of injected molecules.

Substrate carrier concentration dependent plasmon-phonon coupled modes at the interface between graphene and semiconductors

The coupled modes between graphene plasmons and surface phonons of a semiconductor substrate are investigated, which can be efficiently controlled by carrier injection of the substrate. A new physical mechanism on tuning plasmon-phonon coupled modes (PPCMs) is proposed due to the fact that the energy and lifetime of substrate surface phonons depend a lot on the carrier concentration. Specifically, the change of dispersion and lifetime of PPCMs can be controlled by the carrier concentration of the substrate. The energy of PPCMs for a given momentum increases as the carrier concentration of the substrate increases. On the other hand, the momentum of PPCMs for a given energy decreases when the carrier concentration of the substrate increases. The lifetime of PPCMs is always larger than the intrinsic lifetime of graphene plasmons without plasmon-phonon coupling.

Hot Electron-Based Near-Infrared Photodetection Using Bilayer MoS2

Recently, there has been much interest in the extraction of hot electrons generated from surface plasmon decay, as this process can be used to achieve additional bandwidth for both photodetectors and photovoltaics. Hot electrons are typically injected into semiconductors over a Schottky barrier between the metal and semiconductor, enabling generation of photocurrent with below bandgap photon illumination. As a two-dimensional semiconductor single and few layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been demonstrated to exhibit internal photogain and therefore becomes an attractive hot electron acceptor. Here, we investigate hot electron-based photodetection in a device consisting of bilayer MoS2 integrated with a plasmonic antenna array. We demonstrate sub-bandgap photocurrent originating from the injection of hot electrons into MoS2 as well as photoamplification that yields a photogain of 10(5). The large photogain results in a photoresponsivity of 5.2 A/W at 1070 nm, which is far above similar silicon-based hot electron photodetectors in which no photoamplification is present. This technique is expected to have potential use in future ultracompact near-infrared photodetection and optical memory devices.