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Architectured ZnO nanostructures were grown by van der Waals (vdW) heteroepitaxy on hexagonal BN (hBN) layers with artificially patterned atomic ledges. Electron microscopic and theoretical computational analyses presented non-covalent epitaxial features of domain-aligned incommensurate ZnO/hBN heterostructure. The vdW epitaxial ZnO/hBN heterostructures exhibited excellent electrical insulation of hBN, and were applied to fabricate the ultraviolet photodetector devices, as an example of functional optoelectronic device applications.
A group of 2D topological insulators BiX/SbX (X=H, F, Cl and Br) monolayers with extraordinarily large bulk gaps from 0.32 to a record value of 1.08 eV were predicated. These giant-gaps result from the strong spin-orbit interaction related to px and py orbitals of Bi/Sb atoms around the two valleys K and K′. The honeycomb structures of BiX monolayers remain stable even at a temperature of 600 K. The electric field-biased BiX/SbX monolayers become quantum valley Hall insulators, showing valley-selective circular dichroism. These features make the BiX/SbX monolayers an ideal platform to realize many exotic phenomena and fabricate new quantum devices.
