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WO3/WS2 core/shell nanowires were synthesized using a scalable fabrication method by combining wet chemical etching and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Initially, WO3 nanowires were formed through wet chemical etching using a potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution, followed by oxidation at 650 °C. These WO3 nanowires were then sulfurized at 900 °C to form a WS2 shell, resulting in WO3/WS2 core/shell nanowires with diameters ranging from 90 to 370 nm. The synthesized nanowires were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The shell is composed of 2D WS2 layers with uniformly spaced 2D layers as well as the atomically sharp core/shell interface of WO3/WS2. Notably, the WO3/WS2 heterostructure nanowires exhibited a unique negative photoresponse under visible light (405 nm) illumination. This negative photoresponse highlights the importance of interface engineering in these heterostructures and demonstrates the potential of WO3/WS2 core/shell nanowires for applications in photodetectors and other optoelectronic devices. 

Abstract In-plane anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit in-plane orientation-dependent properties. The anisotropic unit cell causes these materials to show lower symmetry but more diverse physical properties than in-plane isotropic 2D materials. In addition, the artificial stacking of in-plane anisotropic 2D materials can generate new phenomena that cannot be achieved in in-plane isotropic 2D materials. In this perspective we provide an overview of representative in-plane anisotropic 2D materials and their properties, such as black phosphorus, group IV monochalcogenides, group VI transition metal dichalcogenides with 1T′ and T_dphases, and rhenium dichalcogenides. In addition, we discuss recent theoretical and experimental investigations of twistronics using in-plane anisotropic 2D materials. Both in-plane anisotropic 2D materials and their twistronics hold considerable potential for advancing the field of 2D materials, particularly in the context of orientation-dependent optoelectronic devices. 

Abstract Memristors for neuromorphic computing have gained prominence over the years for implementing synapses and neurons due to their nano-scale footprint and reduced complexity. Several demonstrations show two-dimensional (2D) materials as a promising platform for the realization of transparent, flexible, ultra-thin memristive synapses. However, unsupervised learning in a spiking neural network (SNN) facilitated by linearity and symmetry in synaptic weight update has not been explored thoroughly using the 2D materials platform. Here, we demonstrate that graphene/MoS₂/SiO_x/Ni synapses exhibit ideal linearity and symmetry when subjected to identical input pulses, which is essential for their role in online training of neural networks. The linearity in weight update holds for a range of pulse width, amplitude and number of applied pulses. Our work illustrates that the mechanism of switching in MoS₂-based synapses is through conductive filaments governed by Poole-Frenkel emission. We demonstrate that the graphene/MoS₂/SiO_x/Ni synapses, when integrated with a MoS₂-based leaky integrate-and-fire neuron, can control the spiking of the neuron efficiently. This work establishes 2D MoS₂as a viable platform for all-memristive SNNs. 

Abstract Crystallographically anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) with vertically aligned (VA) layers is attractive for electrochemical sensing owing to its surface-enriched dangling bonds coupled with extremely large mechanical deformability. In this study, we explored VA-2D MoS 2 layers integrated on cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) for detecting various volatile organic compound gases. Sensor devices employing VA-2D MoS 2 /CNFs exhibited excellent sensitivities for the tested gases of ethanol, methanol, ammonia, and acetone; e.g. a high response rate up to 83.39% for 100 ppm ethanol, significantly outperforming previously reported sensors employing horizontally aligned 2D MoS 2 layers. Furthermore, VA-2D MoS 2 /CNFs were identified to be completely dissolvable in buffer solutions such as phosphate-buffered saline solution and baking soda buffer solution without releasing toxic chemicals. This unusual combination of high sensitivity and excellent biodegradability inherent to VA-2D MoS 2 /CNFs offers unprecedented opportunities for exploring mechanically reconfigurable sensor technologies with bio-compatible transient characteristics.