Search for: All records

Two-dimensional (2D) atomic layer materials have attracted a great deal of attention due to their superior chemical, physical, and electronic properties, and have demonstrated excellent performance in various applications such as energy storage devices, catalysts, sensors, and transistors. Nevertheless, the cost-effective and large-scale production of high-quality 2D materials is critical for practical applications and progressive development in the industry. Electrochemical exfoliation is a recently introduced technique for the facile, environmentally friendly, fast, large-scale production of 2D materials. In this review, we summarize recent advances in different types of electrochemical exfoliation methods for efficiently preparing 2D materials, along with the characteristics of each method, and then introduce their applications as electrode materials for energy storage devices. Finally, the remaining challenges and prospects for developing the electrochemical exfoliation process of 2D materials for energy storage devices are discussed. 

Abstract The search for new strategies for large‐scale, self‐assembled arrays of soft objects is key for many applications in photonics and bottom‐up manufacturing. This work shows how liquid crystal topological defects can be assembled in controlled, aperiodic arrays. In particular, the focus is on two typical examples: quasicrystals and moiré patterns. Thanks to a combination of topographical cues, specifically a micropillar array and electrical switching, defects can be assembled in a quasicrystal structure, as seen from polarized optical microscopy and from diffraction patterns. In this setting, the liquid crystal defects assemble in multiple patterns that can be switched by tuning the applied electric field and retain the quasicrystalline symmetry. Using topographic cues, it is also possible to induce moiré patterns of defects, characterized by a long wavelength superimposed on the periodic structures over a short scale. Even when the defect density increases and the short‐scale periodicity is lost, the long‐scale one remains. This work shows how versatile the combination of topographic confinement and electro‐optic effect is, giving access to patterns that are otherwise difficult to realize.