Poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline)-Ladder-Type Two-Dimensional Conjugated Covalent Organic Framework for Fast Proton Storage

Electrochemical proton storage plays an essential role in designing next-generation high-rate energy storage devices, e.g., aqueous batteries. Two-dimensional conjugated covalent organic frameworks (2D c-COFs) are promising electrode materials, but their competitive proton and metal-ion insertion mechanisms remain elusive, and proton storage in COFs is rarely explored. Here, we report a perinone-based poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline) (BBL)-ladder-type 2D c-COF for fast proton storage in both a mild aqueous Zn-ion electrolyte and strong acid. We unveil that the discharged C-O- groups exhibit largely reduced basicity due to the considerable π-delocalization in perinone, thus affording the 2D c-COF a unique affinity for protons with fast kinetics. As a consequence, the 2D c-COF electrode presents an outstanding rate capability of up to 200 A g-1 (over 2500 C), surpassing the state-of-the-art conjugated polymers, COFs, and metal-organic frameworks. Our work reports the first example of pure proton storage among COFs and highlights the great potential of BBL-ladder-type 2D conjugated polymers in future energy devices.

Controlling Charge Transport in 2D Conductive MOFs─The Role of Nitrogen-Rich Ligands and Chemical Functionality

Two-dimensional electrically conducting metal-organic frameworks (2D-e-MOFs) have emerged as a class of highly promising functional materials for a wide range of applications. However, despite the significant recent advances in 2D-e-MOFs, developing systems that can be postsynthetically chemically functionalized, while also allowing fine-tuning of the transport properties, remains challenging. Herein, we report two isostructural 2D-e-MOFs: Ni3(HITAT)2 and Ni3(HITBim)2 based on two new 3-fold symmetric ligands: 2,3,7,8,12,13-hexaaminotriazatruxene (HATAT) and 2,3,8,9,14,15-hexaaminotribenzimidazole (HATBim), respectively, with reactive sites for postfunctionalization. Ni3(HITAT)2 and Ni3(HITBim)2 exhibit temperature-activated charge transport, with bulk conductivity values of 44 and 0.5 mS cm-1, respectively. Density functional theory analysis attributes the difference to disparities in the electron density distribution within the parent ligands: nitrogen-rich HATBim exhibits localized electron density and a notably lower lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy relative to HATAT. Precise amounts of methanesulfonyl groups are covalently bonded to the N-H indole moiety within the Ni3(HITAT)2 framework, modulating the electrical conductivity by a factor of ∼20. These results provide a blueprint for the design of porous functional materials with tunable chemical functionality and electrical response.

Isomer Discrimination via Defect Engineering in Monolayer MoS2

The all-surface nature of two-dimensional (2D) materials renders them highly sensitive to environmental changes, enabling the on-demand tailoring of their physical properties. Transition metal dichalcogenides, such as 2H molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), can be used as a sensory material capable of discriminating molecules possessing a similar structure with a high sensitivity. Among them, the identification of isomers represents an unexplored and challenging case. Here, we demonstrate that chemical functionalization of defect-engineered monolayer MoS2 enables isomer discrimination via a field-effect transistor readout. A multiscale characterization comprising X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and electrical measurement corroborated by theoretical calculations revealed that monolayer MoS2 exhibits exceptional sensitivity to the differences in the dipolar nature of molecules arising from their chemical structure such as the one in difluorobenzenethiol isomers, allowing their precise recognition. Our findings underscore the potential of 2D materials for molecular discrimination purposes, in particular for the identification of complex isomers.

Carbon Vacancies Steer the Activity in Dual Ni Carbon Nitride Photocatalysis

The manipulation of carbon nitride (CN) structures is one main avenue to enhance the activity of CN-based photocatalysts. Increasing the efficiency of photocatalytic heterogeneous materials is a critical step toward the realistic implementation of sustainable schemes for organic synthesis. However, limited knowledge of the structure/activity relationship in relation to subtle structural variations prevents a fully rational design of new photocatalytic materials, limiting practical applications. Here, the CN structure is engineered by means of a microwave treatment, and the structure of the material is shaped around its suitable functionality for Ni dual photocatalysis, with a resulting boosting of the reaction efficiency toward many CX (X = N, S, O) couplings. The combination of advanced characterization techniques and first-principle simulations reveals that this enhanced reactivity is due to the formation of carbon vacancies that evolve into triazole and imine N species able to suitably bind Ni complexes and harness highly efficient dual catalysis. The cost-effective microwave treatment proposed here appears as a versatile and sustainable approach to the design of CN-based photocatalysts for a wide range of industrially relevant organic synthetic reactions.

Exceptionally high charge mobility in phthalocyanine-based poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline)-ladder-type two-dimensional conjugated polymers

Two-dimensional conjugated polymers (2DCPs), composed of multiple strands of linear conjugated polymers with extended in-plane π-conjugation, are emerging crystalline semiconducting polymers for organic (opto)electronics. They are represented by two-dimensional π-conjugated covalent organic frameworks, which typically suffer from poor π-conjugation and thus low charge carrier mobilities. Here we overcome this limitation by demonstrating two semiconducting phthalocyanine-based poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline)-ladder-type 2DCPs (2DCP-MPc, with M = Cu or Ni), which are constructed from octaaminophthalocyaninato metal(II) and naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride by polycondensation under solvothermal conditions. The 2DCP-MPcs exhibit optical bandgaps of ~1.3 eV with highly delocalized π-electrons. Density functional theory calculations unveil strongly dispersive energy bands with small electron-hole reduced effective masses of ~0.15m0 for the layer-stacked 2DCP-MPcs. Terahertz spectroscopy reveals the band transport of Drude-type free carriers in 2DCP-MPcs with exceptionally high sum mobility of electrons and holes of ~970 cm2 V-1 s-1 at room temperature, surpassing that of the reported linear conjugated polymers and 2DCPs. This work highlights the critical role of effective conjugation in enhancing the charge transport properties of 2DCPs and the great potential of high-mobility 2DCPs for future (opto)electronics.

Unveiling Charge-Transport Mechanisms in Electronic Devices Based on Defect-Engineered MoS2 Covalent Networks

Device performance of solution-processed 2D semiconductors in printed electronics has been limited so far by structural defects and high interflake junction resistance. Covalently interconnected networks of transition metal dichalcogenides potentially represent an efficient strategy to overcome both limitations simultaneously. Yet, the charge-transport properties in such systems have not been systematically researched. Here, the charge-transport mechanisms of printed devices based on covalent MoS₂ networks are unveiled via multiscale analysis, comparing the effects of aromatic versus aliphatic dithiolated linkers. Temperature-dependent electrical measurements reveal hopping as the dominant transport mechanism: aliphatic systems lead to 3D variable range hopping, unlike the nearest neighbor hopping observed for aromatic linkers. The novel analysis based on percolation theory attributes the superior performance of devices functionalized with π-conjugated molecules to the improved interflake electronic connectivity and formation of additional percolation paths, as further corroborated by density functional calculations. Valuable guidelines for harnessing the charge-transport properties in MoS₂ devices based on covalent networks are provided.

Radical defects modulate the photocatalytic response in 2D-graphitic carbon nitride

Graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) is an important heterogeneous metal-free catalytic material. Thermally induced post-synthetic modifications, such as amorphization and/or reduction, were recently used to enhance the photocatalytic response of these materials for certain classes of organic transformations, with structural defects possibly playing an important role. The knowledge of how these surface modifications modulate the photocatalytic response of gCN is therefore not only interesting from a fundamental point of view, but also necessary for the development and/or tuning of metal-free gCN systems with superior photo-catalytic properties. Herein, employing density functional theory calculations and combining both the periodic and molecular approaches, in conjunction with experimental EPR measurements, we demonstrate that different structural defects on the gCN surface generate distinctive radical defect states localized within the electronic bandgap, with only those correlated with amorphous and reduced gCN structures being photo-active. To this end, we (i) model defective gCN surfaces containing radical defect states; (ii) assess the interactions of these defects with the radical precursors involved in the photo-driven alkylation of electron-rich aromatic compounds (namely perfluoroalkyl iodides); and (iii) describe the photo-chemical processes triggering the initial step of that reaction at the gCN surface. We provide a coherent structure/photo-catalytic property relationship on defective gCN surfaces, elaborating how only specific defect types act as binding sites for the perfluoroalkyl iodide reagent and can favor a photo-induced charge transfer from the gCN surface to the molecule, thus triggering the perfluoroalkylation reaction.

The nature of radical defects governs the photocatalytic activity of graphitic carbon nitride.

Light-Programmable Logic-in-Memory in 2D Semiconductors Enabled by Supramolecular Functionalization: Photoresponsive Collective Effect of Aligned Molecular Dipoles

Nowadays, the unrelenting growth of the digital universe calls for radically novel strategies for data processing and storage. An extremely promising and powerful approach relies on the development of logic-in-memory (LiM) devices through the use of floating gate and ferroelectric technologies to write and erase data in a memory operating as a logic gate driven by electrical bias. In this work, we report an alternative approach to realize the logic-in-memory based on two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) where multiple memorized logic output states have been established via the interface with responsive molecular dipoles arranged in supramolecular arrays. The collective dynamic molecular dipole changes of the axial ligand coordinated onto self-assembled metal phthalocyanine nanostructures on the surface of 2D TMD enables large reversible modulation of the Fermi level of both n-type molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) and p-type tungsten diselenide (WSe₂) field-effect transistors (FETs), to achieve multiple memory states by programming and erasing with ultraviolet (UV) and with visible light, respectively. As a result, logic-in-memory devices were built up with our supramolecular layer/2D TMD architecture where the output logic is encoded by the motion of the molecular dipoles. Our strategy relying on the dynamic control of the 2D electronics by harnessing the functions of molecular-dipole-induced memory in a supramolecular hybrid layer represents a versatile way to integrate the functional programmability of molecular science into the next generation nanoelectronics.

2D MXene-Molecular Hybrid Additive for High-Performance Ambipolar Polymer Field-Effect Transistors and Logic Gates

MXenes are highly conductive layered materials that are attracting a great interest for high-performance opto-electronics, photonics, and energy applications.. Their non-covalent functionalization with ad hoc molecules enables the production of stable inks of 2D flakes to be processed in thin-films. Here, the formation of stable dispersions via the intercalation of Ti₃ C₂ T_x with didecyldimethyl ammonium bromide (DDAB) yielding Ti₃ C₂ T_x -DDAB, is demonstrated. Such functionalization modulates the properties of Ti₃ C₂ T_x , as evidenced by a 0.47 eV decrease of the work function. It is also shown that DDAB is a powerful n-dopant capable of enhancing electron mobility in conjugated polymers and 2D materials. When Ti₃ C₂ T_x -DDAB is blended with poly(diketopyrrolopyrrole-co-selenophene) [(PDPP-Se)], a simultaneous increase by 170% and 152% of the hole and electron field-effect mobilities, respectively, is observed, compared to the neat conjugated polymer, with values reaching 2.0 cm² V^-1 s^-1 . By exploiting the balanced ambipolar transport of the Ti₃ C₂ T_x -DDAB/PDPP-Se hybrid, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic gates are fabricated that display well-centered trip points and good noise margin (64.6% for inverter). The results demonstrate that intercalant engineering represents an efficient strategy to tune the electronic properties of Ti₃ C₂ T_x yielding functionalized MXenes for polymer transistors with unprecedented performances and functions.

Ultrafast and Highly Sensitive Chemically Functionalized Graphene Oxide-Based Humidity Sensors: Harnessing Device Performances via the Supramolecular Approach

Humidity sensors have been gaining increasing attention because of their relevance for well-being. To meet the ever-growing demand for new cost-efficient materials with superior performances, graphene oxide (GO)-based relative humidity sensors have emerged recently as low-cost and highly sensitive devices. However, current GO-based sensors suffer from important drawbacks including slow response and recovery, as well as poor stability. Interestingly, reduced GO (rGO) exhibits higher stability, yet accompanied by a lower sensitivity to humidity due to its hydrophobic nature. With the aim of improving the sensing performances of rGO, here we report on a novel generation of humidity sensors based on a simple chemical modification of rGO with hydrophilic moieties, i.e., triethylene glycol chains. Such a hybrid material exhibits an outstandingly improved sensing performance compared to pristine rGO such as high sensitivity (31% increase in electrical resistance when humidity is shifted from 2 to 97%), an ultrafast response (25 ms) and recovery in the subsecond timescale, low hysteresis (1.1%), excellent repeatability and stability, as well as high selectivity toward moisture. Such highest-key-performance indicators demonstrate the full potential of two-dimensional (2D) materials when decorated with suitably designed supramolecular receptors to develop the next generation of chemical sensors of any analyte of interest.

Stable, concentrated, biocompatible, and defect-free graphene dispersions with positive charge

The outstanding properties of graphene offer high potential for biomedical applications. In this framework, positively charged nanomaterials show better interactions with the biological environment, hence there is strong interest in the production of positively charged graphene nanosheets. Currently, production of cationic graphene is either time consuming or producing dispersions with poor stability, which strongly limit their use in the biomedical field. In this study, we made a family of new cationic pyrenes, and have used them to successfully produce water-based, highly concentrated, stable, and defect-free graphene dispersions with positive charge. The use of different pyrene derivatives as well as molecular dynamics simulations allowed us to get insights on the nanoscale interactions required to achieve efficient exfoliation and stabilisation. The cationic graphene dispersions show outstanding biocompatibility and cellular uptake as well as exceptional colloidal stability in the biological medium, making this material extremely attractive for biomedical applications.

Interlayer Bonding in Two-Dimensional Materials: The Special Case of SnP3 and GeP3

Stacked two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures are evolving as the "next-generation" optoelectronic materials because of the possibility of designing atomically thin devices with outstanding characteristics. However, most of the existing 2D heterostructures are governed by weak van der Waals interlayer interactions that, as often is the case, exert limited impact on the resulting properties of heterostructures relative to their constituting components. In this work, we investigate the optoelectronic properties of a novel class of 2D MP₃ (M = Ge and Sn) materials featuring strong interlayer interactions, applying a robust theoretical framework combining density functional theory and many-body perturbation theory. We demonstrate that the remarkable intrinsic vertical strain (of ∼40% relative to the monolayers) promotes the exfoliation of these materials into bilayers and profoundly impacts their electronic structure, charge transport, and optical properties. Most strikingly, we observe that the strong interlayer hybridization indicates continuous optical absorption across the entire visible range that, together with high charge carrier mobility, makes these 2D MP₃ heterostructures attractive for photoconversion applications.

Divanillin-Based Polyazomethines: Toward Biobased and Metal-Free π-Conjugated Polymers

Divanillin was synthesized in high yield and purity using Laccase from Trametes versicolor. It was then polymerized with benzene-1,4-diamine and 2,7-diaminocarbazole to form polyazomethines. Polymerizations were performed under microwave irradiation and without transition-metal-based catalysts. These biobased conjugated polyazomethines present a broad fluorescence spectrum ranging from 400 to 600 nm. Depending on the co-monomer used, polyazomethines with molar masses of around 10 kg·mol^-1 and with electronic gaps ranging from 2.66 to 2.85 eV were obtained. Furthermore, time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were performed to corroborate the experimental results.

Application of Rubrene Air-Gap Transistors as Sensitive MEMS Physical Sensors

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) made of organic materials have attracted efforts for the development a new generation of physical, chemical, and biological sensors, for which the electromechanical sensitivity is the current major concern. Here, we present an organic MEMS made of a rubrene single-crystal air-gap transistor. Applying mechanical pressure on the semiconductor results in high variations in drain current: an unparalleled gauge factor above 4000 has been measured experimentally. Such a high sensitivity is induced by the modulation of charge injection at the interface between the gold electrode and the rubrene semiconductor as an unusual transducing effect. Applying these devices to the detection of acoustic pressure shows that force down to 230 nN can be measured with a resolution of 40 nN. This study demonstrates that MEMS based on rubrene air-gap transistors constitute a step forward in the development of high-performance flexible sensors.