Untangling the intertwined: metallic to semiconducting phase transition of colloidal MoS2 nanoplatelets and nanosheets

2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are highly promising materials for future spin- and valleytronic applications and exhibit an ultrafast response to external (optical) stimuli which is essential for optoelectronics. Colloidal nanochemistry on the other hand is an emerging alternative for the synthesis of 2D TMDC nanosheet (NS) ensembles, allowing for the control of the reaction via tunable precursor and ligand chemistry. Up to now, wet-chemical colloidal syntheses yielded intertwined/agglomerated NSs with a large lateral size. Here, we show a synthesis method for 2D mono- and bilayer MoS₂ nanoplatelets with a particularly small lateral size (NPLs, 7.4 nm ± 2.2 nm) and MoS₂ NSs (22 nm ± 9 nm) as a reference by adjusting the molybdenum precursor concentration in the reaction. We find that in colloidal 2D MoS₂ syntheses initially a mixture of the stable semiconducting and the metastable metallic crystal phase is formed. 2D MoS₂ NPLs and NSs then both undergo a full transformation to the semiconducting crystal phase by the end of the reaction, which we quantify by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Phase pure semiconducting MoS₂ NPLs with a lateral size approaching the MoS₂ exciton Bohr radius exhibit strong additional lateral confinement, leading to a drastically shortened decay of the A and B exciton which is characterized by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. Our findings represent an important step for utilizing colloidal TMDCs, for example small MoS₂ NPLs represent an excellent starting point for the growth of heterostructures for future colloidal photonics.

Neutral binary chalcogen-nitrogen and ternary S,N,P molecules: new structures, bonding insights and potential applications

Early theoretical and experimental investigations of inorganic sulfur-nitrogen compounds were dominated by (a) assessments of the purported aromatic character of cyclic, binary S,N molecules and ions, (b) the unpredictable reactions of the fascinating cage compound S4N4, and (c) the unique structure and properties of the conducting polymer (SN)x. In the last few years, in addition to unexpected developments in the chemistry of well-known sulfur nitrides, the emphasis of these studies has changed to include nitrogen-rich species formed under high pressures, as well as the selenium analogues of well-known S,N compounds. Novel applications have been established or predicted for many binary S/Se,N molecules, including their use for fingerprint detection, in optoelectronic devices, as high energy-density compounds or as hydrogen-storage materials. The purpose of this perspective is to evaluate critically these new aspects of the chemistry of neutral, binary chalcogen-nitrogen molecules and to suggest experimental approaches to the synthesis of target compounds. Recently identified ternary S,N,P compounds will also be considered in light of their isoelectronic relationship with binary S,N cations.

Semiconducting SN2 monolayer with three-dimensional auxetic properties: a global minimum with tetracoordinated sulfurs

Designing new two-dimensional (2D) materials, exploring their unique properties and diverse potential applications are of paramount importance to condensed matter physics and materials science. In this work, we predicted a novel 2D SN2 monolayer (S-SN2) by means of density functional theory (DFT) computations. In the S-SN2 monolayer, each S atom is tetracoordinated with four N atoms, and each N atom bridges two S atoms, thus forming a tri-sublayer structure with square lattice. The monolayer exhibits good stability, as demonstrated by the moderate cohesive energy, all positive phonon modes, and the structural integrity maintained through 10 ps molecular dynamics simulations up to 1000 K. It is an indirect-bandgap semiconductor with high hole mobility, and the bandgap can be tuned by changing the thickness and external strains (the indirect-bandgap to direct-bandgap transition occurs when the biaxial tensile strain reaches 4%). Significantly, it has large Young's modulus and three-dimensional auxetic properties (both in-plane and out-of-plane negative Poisson's ratios). Therefore, the S-SN2 monolayer holds great potential applications in electronics, photoelectronics and mechanics.

Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth of Vertical MoS2 Nanosheets on p-GaN Nanorods for Photodetector Application

Vertically oriented multilayered MoS₂ nanosheets were successfully grown on p-GaN nanorod substrate using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The p-GaN nanorod substrate was fabricated by dry etching employing self-assembled nickel (Ni) nanopartical as mask. Photoluminescence (PL) and Raman characterizations demonstrate the multilayered structure of MoS₂ nanosheet growth on p-GaN nanorods as compared with the referential monolayer MoS2 on GaN wafer substrate under the same growth procedure. The growth model of vertical MoS2 nanosheet formed on GaN nanorods is evidently proposed according to the first-principle calculations. More importantly, it is demonstrated here that the as-grown vertical MoS₂ nanosheets/p-GaN nanorod heterostructure holds promising applications in photodetector device, where high optical gain and broad spectral response in the visible range have been obtained.

Structural control of InP/ZnS core/shell quantum dots enables high-quality white LEDs

Herein, we demonstrate that the structural and optical control of InP-based quantum dots (QDs) can lead to high-performance light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Zinc sulphide (ZnS) shells passivate the InP QD core and increase the quantum yield in green-emitting QDs by 13-fold and red-emitting QDs by 8-fold. The optimised QDs are integrated in the liquid state to eliminate aggregation-induced emission quenching and we fabricated white LEDs with a warm, neutral and cool-white appearance by the down-conversion mechanism. The QD-functionalized white LEDs achieve luminous efficiency (LE) up to 14.7 lm W^-1 and colour-rendering index up to 80. The structural and optical control of InP/ZnS core/shell QDs enable 23-fold enhancement in LE of white LEDs compared to ones containing only QDs of InP core.

Room temperature synthesis of organic surfactant-free PbS and PbSe nanoparticles exhibiting NIR absorption

The supersaturated condition in the reaction facilitated the formation of organic surfactant-free nanoparticles.

Sol–gel synthesis, structural, optical and magnetic characterization of Ag3(2+x)PrxNb4−xO11+δ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) nanoparticles

The optical and magnetic properties of sol–gel synthesized nanocrystalline Ag₃₍₂₊x₎PrxNb₄₋xO₁₁₊δ (x = 0.0, 0.50 and 1.0; S1–S3) were studied by DRS and VSM plots. Magnetic studies reveal that the samples exhibit ferromagnetism at room temperature.