Featured
-
-
Article
| Open Access
Growth of millimeter-sized 2D metal iodide crystals induced by ion-specific preference at water-air interfaces
Here, the authors report the growth of millimetre-scale 2D PbI2 single crystals via the spontaneous accumulation and in-plane arrangement of iodide ions at the water-air interface. The metal iodide crystals could be thinned down to a single monolayer via water etching, and subsequently converted into perovskite optoelectronic devices.
- Jingxian Zhong
- , Dawei Zhou
- & Lin Wang
-
Article
| Open Access
Kinetically controlled metal-elastomer nanophases for environmentally resilient stretchable electronics
Metal-elastomer nanophases are critical for stretchable electronics but face mixing challenges. This study introduces a kinetic method for precise mixing, yielding gyrified nanophases with improved durability and strain-invariant conductivity, which holds promise for resilient stretchable devices.
- Soosang Chae
- , Won Jin Choi
- & Tae Il Lee
-
Article
| Open Access
Extending carbon chemistry at high-pressure by synthesis of CaC2 and Ca3C7 with deprotonated polyacene- and para-poly(indenoindene)-like nanoribbons
The authors demonstrate that carbides with infinite chains of fused [C6] and [C5] rings are synthesized at deep planetary pressures and temperatures. Hydrolysis of these carbides may lead to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Universe.
- Saiana Khandarkhaeva
- , Timofey Fedotenko
- & Leonid Dubrovinsky
-
Article
| Open Access
High figure-of-merit for ZnO nanostructures by interfacing lowly-oxidized graphene quantum dots
It is crucial to design ZnO with uniform nanoscale features to reduce thermal conductivity while maintaining electrical conduction pathways. Authors realize a high figure-of-merit value of 0.486 at 580 K by interfacing graphene quantum dots with three-dimensional nanostructured ZnO.
- Myungwoo Choi
- , Juyoung An
- & Seokwoo Jeon
-
Article
| Open Access
Pushing the thinness limit of silver films for flexible optoelectronic devices via ion-beam thinning-back process
The use of thin silver films with nanometric thickness for optoelectronic devices is essential for high transparency, flexibility, and electrical properties. Ma et al. report a thinning-back process with a flood ion beam, to further reduce film thickness down to 4.5 nm.
- Dongxu Ma
- , Ming Ji
- & Huigao Duan
-
Article
| Open Access
Controlled formation of three-dimensional cavities during lateral epitaxial growth
Substrate patterning offers additional degrees of freedom to engineer the structure and function of a semiconductor device. Here, fully-enclosed germanium cavities, with size and position tunable through the initial mask pattern, can be created through an unexpected self-assembly process.
- Yiwen Zhang
- , Baoming Wang
- & Rui-Tao Wen
-
Article
| Open Access
Area-selective atomic layer deposition on 2D monolayer lateral superlattices
Area selective atomic layer deposition (AS-ALD) has been recently proposed as a controlled growth method, but the patterning resolution and selectivity require improvements. Here, the authors report a superlattice-based AS-ALD method to deposit various materials onto 2D MoS2-MoSe2 lateral superlattices, with a minimum half-pitch size of ~ 10 nm.
- Jeongwon Park
- , Seung Jae Kwak
- & Kibum Kang
-
Article
| Open Access
Highly anisotropic Fe3C microflakes constructed by solid-state phase transformation for efficient microwave absorption
Fe3C microflakes with high magnetic anisotropy are prepared through solid-state phase transformation and electrochemical dealloying. The magnetic anisotropy can be tuned by adjusting the morphology, resulting in optimized ferromagnetic resonance behavior for microwave absorption
- Rongzhi Zhao
- , Tong Gao
- & Gaowu Qin
-
Article
| Open Access
Deceptive orbital confinement at edges and pores of carbon-based 1D and 2D nanoarchitectures
The apparent electronic confinement at nanographene boundaries in scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy is often misinterpreted. Here, the authors explain this phenomenon in terms of the decay of frontier orbitals and confinement at the edges of graphene nanoribbons and pores in nanoporous graphene.
- Ignacio Piquero-Zulaica
- , Eduardo Corral-Rascón
- & Johannes V. Barth
-
Article
| Open Access
Creating amphiphilic porosity in two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks via steric-hindrance-mediated precision hydrophilic-hydrophobic microphase separation
Creating different pore environments within a covalent organic framework (COF) leads to useful multicompartment structure and multiple functions. Here, the authors propose a strategy to construct amphiphilic COFs with separated hydrophilic and hydrophobic nanochannels by precisely controlling the distribution of hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments in two different kinds of pores.
- Shu-Yan Jiang
- , Zhi-Bei Zhou
- & Xin Zhao
-
Article
| Open Access
Robust multiferroic in interfacial modulation synthesized wafer-scale one-unit-cell of chromium sulfide
2D multiferroic materials have garnered broad interests due to their magnetoelectric properties and multifunctional applications. Here, the authors discover a multiferroic feature in interfacial modulation synthesized wafer-scale one-unit-cell Cr2S3.
- Luying Song
- , Ying Zhao
- & Jun He
-
Article
| Open Access
Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks in solution enables continuous and high-crystalline membranes
Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) attract increasing attention as porous materials. Despite the widely studied solid-state properties, little research has been done on the solution state. Here, the authors demonstrate that HOFs fragment into small particles while maintaining their original assemblies upon dispersing in solvents.
- Qi Yin
- , Kuan Pang
- & Tian-Fu Liu
-
Article
| Open Access
Lithiated porous silicon nanowires stimulate periodontal regeneration
Prelithiation can introduce controllable amounts of lithium within porous silicon, however it yields a highly reactive material unsuitable for biomedicine. In this study, the authors present a strategy to lithiate porous silicon nanowires, resulting in a biocompatible and bioresorbable material.
- Martti Kaasalainen
- , Ran Zhang
- & Ciro Chiappini
-
Article
| Open Access
Ultrasmall single-layered NbSe2 nanotubes flattened within a chemical-driven self-pressurized carbon nanotube
The chemical-driven large pressure arising inside carbon nanotubes creates energetically stable, flattened, single-layered NbSe2 nanotubes with enhanced intermolecular electronic interactions, suggesting a chemical approach to produce materials with tailored structural and electronic properties.
- Yaxin Jiang
- , Hao Xiong
- & Fei Wei
-
Article
| Open Access
Ultra-selective uranium separation by in-situ formation of π-f conjugated 2D uranium-organic framework
Methodologies to achieve efficient and selective uranium separation originating from nuclear waste are desirable. Here the authors report the in-situ formation of π-f conjugated 2D uranium-organic framework for uranium separation, leading to superior performance in uranium uptake and outstanding uranium generation efficiency from seawater.
- Qing Yun Zhang
- , Lin Juan Zhang
- & Feng Luo
-
Article
| Open Access
Reversible modulation of interlayer stacking in 2D copper-organic frameworks for tailoring porosity and photocatalytic activity
The precise control of interlayer stacking mode of 2D materials is a long-standing pursuit. Here, the authors report two 2D copper-organic frameworks that can undergo the reversible interlayer sliding through environmental stimulation.
- Pei-Ye You
- , Kai-Ming Mo
- & Dan Li
-
Article
| Open Access
Fast and scalable production of crosslinked polyimide aerogel fibers for ultrathin thermoregulating clothes
The scalable production of polyimide aerogel fibers, promising intelligent thermal management fabrics, is limited by the slow gelation kinetics and the weak backbone. Here, the authors present a UV-enhanced dynamic gelation strategy for fast and scalable preparation of cross-linked polyimide aerogel fibers by wet spinning and cost-effective ambient pressure drying.
- Tiantian Xue
- , Chenyu Zhu
- & Tianxi Liu
-
Article
| Open Access
One-dimensionally oriented self-assembly of ordered mesoporous nanofibers featuring tailorable mesophases via kinetic control
One-dimensional materials have interesting physiochemical properties, but control over porosity is still a significant challenge. Here, the authors report a self-assembly method for the fabrication of 1D materials with an ordered mesostructure.
- Liang Peng
- , Huarong Peng
- & Dongyuan Zhao
-
Article
| Open Access
In-plane charged antiphase boundary and 180° domain wall in a ferroelectric film
The correlation between charged and antiphase states in BiFeO3 remain elusive. Here, the authors report a fabrication of in-plane charged antiphase boundaries in BiFeO3 thin films, revealing the atomic bonding configurations and atomically sharp 180° polarization reversal of such boundaries.
- Xiangbin Cai
- , Chao Chen
- & Deyang Chen
-
Article
| Open Access
Wood-based superblack
Superblack materials could innovate light-centered technologies, however, advances in superblack materials have been constrained by their complex and costly fabrication routes. Here, the authors report a simple top-down strategy, guided by computational methods, to develop robust superblack materials following metal-free wood delignification and carbonization.
- Bin Zhao
- , Xuetong Shi
- & Bruno D. Mattos
-
Article
| Open Access
Local probe-induced structural isomerization in a one-dimensional molecular array
Achieving unit-by-unit isomerization within a molecular array poses a significant challenge in chemistry. Here, the authors demonstrate tip-induced stereoisomerization of dehydroazulene and diradical units in three-dimensional organometallic compounds on Ag(111).
- Shigeki Kawai
- , Orlando J. Silveira
- & Adam S. Foster
-
Article
| Open Access
2D quasi-layered material with domino structure
Interlayer coupling strength classifies 2D materials into layered and non-layered types. Here authors introduce the concept of quasi-layered domino-structured materials, the interlayer of which have a synergistic blend of vdW forces and covalent bonds.
- Haihui Lan
- , Luyang Wang
- & Lei Fu
-
Article
| Open Access
A general large-scale synthesis approach for crystalline porous materials
The large-scale production of crystalline porous materials remains a challenge. Here the authors report a general approach of high-pressure homogenization that can realize large-scale synthesis of crystalline porous materials under benign conditions.
- Xiongli Liu
- , An Wang
- & Shengqian Ma
-
Article
| Open Access
Robust 2D layered MXene matrix–boron carbide hybrid films for neutron radiation shielding
There is an urgent need to develop coatings with good neutron-absorption capacity and workability. Here the authors addressed these challenges by developing a scalable and solution processable two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXene hybrid film with homogeneously distributed B4C particles.
- Ju-Hyoung Han
- , Shi-Hyun Seok
- & Soon-Yong Kwon
-
Article
| Open Access
Upcycling fish scales through heating for steganography and Rhodamine B adsorption application
Waste materials including fish scales are increasingly being developed for alternative applications, but simple processing is required. Here, the authors report the treatment of fish scales to give fluorescent materials suitable for dye absorption.
- Malcolm Miao Geng Sow
- , Zheng Zhang
- & Sharon Xiaodai Lim
-
Article
| Open Access
Cascade electrocatalysis via AgCu single-atom alloy and Ag nanoparticles in CO2 electroreduction toward multicarbon products
Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction into multicarbon products offers a means to close the anthropogenic carbon cycle using renewable electricity. Here, the authors report a cascade AgCu single-atom and nanoparticle electrocatalyst with favorable properties to improve the selectivity of multicarbon products.
- Cheng Du
- , Joel P. Mills
- & Yimin A. Wu
-
Article
| Open Access
Control of metal oxides’ electronic conductivity through visual intercalation chemical reactions
Cation intercalation is an effective method to optimise the electronic structures of metal oxides. Here authors present a visual intercalation chemical synthesis strategy to control intercalated structures of metal oxides and synthesise flexible conductive metal oxide films in one minute at room temperature.
- Yuanyuan Zhang
- , Xiaohua Zhang
- & Jianhua Yan
-
Article
| Open Access
Extending on-surface synthesis from 2D to 3D by cycloaddition with C60
On-surface synthesis (OSS) defines a special opportunity to investigate intermolecular coupling at. sub-molecular level and has delivered many appealing polymers but so-far OSS is limited to the. lateral covalent bonding of molecular precursors. Here, the authors demonstrate cycloaddition. between C60 and an aromatic compound allowing covalent coupling perpendicular to the surface and multiple non-planar covalent coupling of C60.
- Pengcheng Ding
- , Shaoshan Wang
- & Miao Yu
-
Article
| Open Access
Pick and place process for uniform shrinking of 3D printed micro- and nano-architected materials
Three-dimensional structures with micro-/nanoscale features can be produced by two-photon polymerization lithography but suffering from a non-uniform shrinkage. Here, the authors report a poly(vinyl alcohol)-assisted pick-and-place process to uniformly heat shrink three-dimensional micro-/nano-architected materials printed by two-photon polymerization lithography.
- Tomohiro Mori
- , Hao Wang
- & Joel K. W. Yang
-
Article
| Open Access
Metal-organic framework template-guided electrochemical lithography on substrates for SERS sensing applications
Templating method holds great promise for fabricating surface nanopatterns. Here authors present a guiding growth mode using metal-organic framework microparticles as templates during metal electrodeposition, where metals exclusively grow underneath the microparticles.
- Youyou Lu
- , Xuan Zhang
- & Shikuan Yang
-
Article
| Open Access
A route to metalloligands consolidated silver nanoclusters by grafting thiacalix[4]arene onto polyoxovanadates
Metalloligands provide a potent strategy for manipulating the surface metal arrangements of metal nanoclusters (NCs), but their synthesis and subsequent installation onto metal NCs remains a significant challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate the synthesis of two atomically precise silver NCs by controlling reaction temperature and demonstrate thermal induced structure transformation between the clusters during a temperature-dependent assembly process.
- Zhi Wang
- , Yan-Jie Zhu
- & Di Sun
-
Article
| Open Access
Efficient and selective capture of thorium ions by a covalent organic framework
Covalent organic frameworks are used in capture of radioactive ions but achieving high separation factors remains challenging. Here, the authors design an ionic COF its neutral non-ionic to better understand the role of different N sites on the selective capture of Th(IV) and report remarkable separation factors ranging from 102 to 105.
- Xiaojuan Liu
- , Feng Gao
- & Guoan Ye
-
Article
| Open Access
Sub-second ultrafast yet programmable wet-chemical synthesis
Here the authors present a wet-interfacial Joule heating approach for synthesizing nanomaterials in a sub-second, programmable, and energy/reactant-saving manner, based on the synergy between Joule-heating-based high temperature and evaporation-caused concentration.
- Lin Zhang
- , Li Peng
- & Chao Gao
-
Article
| Open Access
Geometric control of diffusing elements on InAs semiconductor surfaces via metal contacts
Lithographic metal patterns are used to control the formation of large droplets that naturally occur during the heating of compound semiconductors. The general concept opens a new way to steer bottom-up synthesis across the surface of a chip.
- Sandra Benter
- , Adam Jönsson
- & Anders Mikkelsen
-
Article
| Open Access
Twisting, untwisting, and retwisting of elastic Co-based nanohelices
The reversible transformation of a nanohelix is one of the most exquisite and important phenomenon in nature but nanomaterials usually fail to twist into helical crystals or untwist. Here, the authors report a reciprocal effect between molecular geometry and crystal structure which triggers a twisting-untwisting-retwisting cycle for tri-cobalt salicylate hydroxide hexahydrate.
- Wei Du
- , Feng Gao
- & Qingyi Lu
-
Article
| Open Access
Topotactic fabrication of transition metal dichalcogenide superconducting nanocircuits
The practical device application of transition-metal dichalcogenide superconductors (TMDSCs) is limited by their environmental instability. Here, the authors report a generic, non-destructive, and scalable strategy to fabricate TMDSC nanocircuits via the topotactic conversion of prepatterned metallic precursors.
- Xiaohan Wang
- , Hao Wang
- & Peiheng Wu
-
Article
| Open Access
Versatile synthesis of metal-compound based mesoporous Janus nanoparticles
Mesoporous Janus nanoparticles (mJNPs) have attracted a lot of attention due to their unique morphology. Here, the authors demonstrate a hydrophilicity mediated interfacial selective assembly strategy for the versatile synthesis of metal compound based mJNPs.
- Yan Yu
- , Runfeng Lin
- & Xiaomin Li
-
Article
| Open Access
Location-selective immobilisation of single-atom catalysts on the surface or within the interior of ionic nanocrystals using coordination chemistry
The authors report the location-selective immobilisation of single Pt atoms on the surface or within the interior of CdSe nanoplatelets using coordination chemistry and show location-dependent photocatalytic reactivity.
- Kenichi Endo
- , Masaki Saruyama
- & Toshiharu Teranishi
-
Article
| Open Access
Carbene-stabilized enantiopure heterometallic clusters featuring EQE of 20.8% in circularly-polarized OLED
Chiral coinage metal clusters show promise for use in emerging circularly polarized light-emitting materials and diodes but research on efficient circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs) with enantiopure metal clusters remains elusive. Herein, the authors design a multidentate chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand which is used in the synthesis of enantiopure Au(I)-Cu(I) clusters with exceptional stability and demonstrate application of these clusters in the fabrication of CP-OLEDs
- Xiao-Hong Ma
- , Jing Li
- & Shuang-Quan Zang
-
Article
| Open Access
On-site growth of perovskite nanocrystal arrays for integrated nanodevices
Integration of halide perovskites into nanoscale devices has been impeded by the limits of controlled perovskite patterning. Here, the authors demonstrate on-site growth of perovskite nanocrystals with sub-50 nm size and placement control, realizing nanoscale light emitting diodes.
- Patricia Jastrzebska-Perfect
- , Weikun Zhu
- & Farnaz Niroui
-
Article
| Open Access
Coherent heteroepitaxial growth of I-III-VI2 Ag(In,Ga)S2 colloidal nanocrystals with near-unity quantum yield for use in luminescent solar concentrators
Colloidal semiconductor core-shell nanocrystals are sought after for photonic applications. Here, the authors report coherent heteroepitaxial growth of Ag(In,Ga)S2 core-shell nanocrystals with near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield across almost the full visible range.
- Hak June Lee
- , Seongbin Im
- & Wan Ki Bae
-
Article
| Open Access
Ligand effect on switching the rate-determining step of water oxidation in atomically precise metal nanoclusters
Surface modification using organic molecules is crucial for tailoring the physicochemical properties of electrocatalysts. In this study, we employ atomically precise Au25 nanoclusters with different ligands to identify the ligand effect on switching rate-limiting steps of oxygen evolution reaction.
- Zhihe Liu
- , Hua Tan
- & Jianping Xie
-
Article
| Open Access
Critical roles of metal–ligand complexes in the controlled synthesis of various metal nanoclusters
Metal-thiolate complexes are the precursors to atomically precise metal nanoclusters. Here, the authors show that the extent of metal-ligand interaction is key to controlling the size and uniformity in the synthesis of metal nanoclusters.
- Ji Soo Kim
- , Hogeun Chang
- & Jungwon Park
-
Article
| Open Access
Polycage membranes for precise molecular separation and catalysis
The evolution of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry requires effective and less energy intensive separation technologies but engineering materials at a large scale with tunable properties for molecular separation is challenging. Here, the authors report a thin film composite membranes prepared by the interfacial polymerization of porous organic cages.
- Xiang Li
- , Weibin Lin
- & Suzana P. Nunes
-
Article
| Open Access
Surface manipulation for prevention of migratory viscous crude oil fouling in superhydrophilic membranes
Minimizing membrane fouling is critical for their continuous and efficient operation. Here, authors demonstrate a wrinkled-pattern microparticles-decorated membrane surface can increase contact area with water molecules, expand steric hindrance, and inhibit adhesion and deposition of oil, achieving efficient migratory viscous crude oil antifouling.
- Yuanyuan Zhao
- , Xiaobin Yang
- & Lu Shao
-
Article
| Open Access
Epitaxial growth of highly symmetrical branched noble metal-semiconductor heterostructures with efficient plasmon-induced hot-electron transfer
Epitaxial growth of heterostructures composed of materials with large lattice mismatch is challenging. Here, the authors reported the epitaxy of II-VI semiconductor nanorods on plasmonic noble metal, despite a lattice mismatch of more than 40%.
- Li Zhai
- , Sara T. Gebre
- & Xue-Jun Wu
-
Article
| Open Access
Preparing high-concentration individualized carbon nanotubes for industrial separation of multiple single-chirality species
Large-scale production of single-chirality carbon nanotubes has long been a major challenge. Here, authors report a simple, yet effective, method to increase the yield of gel chromatography separation of single-chirality carbon nanotubes by enabling significantly higher concentrations of raw nanotubes solution.
- Dehua Yang
- , Linhai Li
- & Huaping Liu
-
Article
| Open Access
Coherent hexagonal platinum skin on nickel nanocrystals for enhanced hydrogen evolution activity
Synthesis and modulation of metastable noble metal nanocrystal catalysts is interesting yet challenging. Here the authors report synthesis of metastable hexagonal Pt skins on Ni nanocrystals with modulated electronic structures and enhanced hydrogen evolution activities.
- Kai Liu
- , Hao Yang
- & Chuanbo Gao
-
Article
| Open Access
Solution epitaxy of polarization-gradient ferroelectric oxide films with colossal photovoltaic current
Developing low-temperature solution epitaxy and elucidating its underlying mechanisms is highly desired for low-cost fabrication of single-crystal ferroelectric films. Here, the authors show that a polarization screening between ferroelectrics and substrates can tailor the interface energy and drive the solution epitaxy of polarization-gradient ferroelectric oxide films, demonstrating a remarkable photovoltaic effect.
- Chen Lin
- , Zijun Zhang
- & Gaorong Han
Stress-induced ordering evolution of 1D segmented heteronanostructures and their chemical post-transformations