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Abstract Pivotal to functional van der Waals stacked flexible electronic/excitonic/spintronic/thermoelectric chips is the synergy amongst constituent layers. However; the current techniques viz. sequential chemical vapor deposition, micromechanical/wet‐chemical transfer are mostly limited due to diffused interfaces, and metallic remnants/bubbles at the interface. Inter‐layer‐coupled 2+
δ ‐dimensional materials, as a new class of materials can be significantly suitable for out‐of‐plane carrier transport and hence prompt response in prospective devices. Here, the discovery of the use of exotic electric field ≈106 V cm−1(at microwave hot‐spot) and 2 thermomechanical conditions i.e. pressure ≈1 MPa, T ≈ 200 °C (during solvothermal reaction) to realize 2+δ ‐dimensional materials is reported. It is found that PzPzchemical bonds form between the component layers, e.g., CB and CN in G‐BN, MoN and MoB in MoS2‐BN hybrid systems as revealed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. New vibrational peaks in Raman spectra (BC ≈1320 cm–1for the G‐BN system and MoB ≈365 cm–1for the MoS2‐BN system) are recorded. Tunable mid‐gap formation, along with diodic behavior (knee voltage ≈0.7 V, breakdown voltage ≈1.8 V) in the reduced graphene oxide‐reduced BN oxide (RGO‐RBNO) hybrid system is also observed. Band‐gap tuning in MoS2‐BN system is observed. Simulations reveal stacking‐dependent interfacial charge/potential drops, hinting at the feasibility of next‐generation functional devices/sensors. -
Abstract Large‐area patterning of metals in nanoscale has always been a challenge. Traditional microfabrication processes involve many high‐cost steps, including etching and high‐vacuum deposit, which limit the development of functional nanostructures, especially multiscale metallic patterns. Here, multiplex laser shock imprinting (MLSI) process is introduced to directly manufacture hierarchical micro/nanopatterns at a high strain rate on metallic surfaces using soft optical disks with 1D periodic trenches as molds. The unique metal/polymer layered structures in inexpensive soft optical disks make them strong candidates of molds for MLSI processes. The feasibility of MLSI on hard metals toward soft molds is studied using theoretical simulation. In addition, various types of hierarchical structures are fabricated via MLSI, and their optical reflectance can be modulated via a combination of depth (laser power density), width (types of molds), and angles (rotation between molds). The optical properties have been studied with surface plasmon polariton modes theory. This work opens a new way of manufacturing hierarchical micro/nanopatterns on metals, which is promising for future applications in fields of plasmonics and metasurfaces.
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Abstract Ongoing efforts in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) focus on enhancing power generation, but obstacles concerning the economical and cost‐effective production of TENGs continue to prevail. Micro‐/nanostructure engineering of polymer surfaces has been dominantly utilized for boosting the contact triboelectrification, with deposited metal electrodes for collecting the scavenged energy. Nevertheless, this state‐of‐the‐art approach is limited by the vague potential for producing 3D hierarchical surface structures with conformable coverage of high‐quality metal. Laser‐shock imprinting (LSI) is emerging as a potentially scalable approach for directly surface patterning of a wide range of metals with 3D nanoscale structures by design, benefiting from the ultrahigh‐strain‐rate forming process. Here, a TENG device is demonstrated with LSI‐processed biomimetic hierarchically structured metal electrodes for efficient harvesting of water‐drop energy in the environment. Mimicking and transferring hierarchical microstructures from natural templates, such as leaves, into these water‐TENG devices is effective regarding repelling water drops from the device surface, since surface hydrophobicity from these biomicrostructures maximizes the TENG output. Among various leaves' microstructures, hierarchical microstructures from dried bamboo leaves are preferable regarding maximizing power output, which is attributed to their unique structures, containing both dense nanostructures and microscale features, compared with other types of leaves. Also, the triboelectric output is significantly improved by closely mimicking the hydrophobic nature of the leaves in the LSI‐processed metal surface after functionalizing it with low‐surface‐energy self‐assembled‐monolayers. The approach opens doors to new manufacturable TENG technologies for economically feasible and ecologically friendly production of functional devices with directly patterned 3D biomimic metallic surfaces in energy, electronics, and sensor applications.
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Abstract Few‐layer black phosphorus (BP) has emerged as one of the most promising candidates for post‐silicon electronic materials due to its outstanding electrical and optical properties. However, lack of large‐scale BP thin films is still a major roadblock to further applications. The most widely used methods for obtaining BP thin films are mechanical exfoliation and liquid exfoliation. Herein, a method of directly synthesizing continuous BP thin films with the capability of patterning arbitrary shapes by employing ultrafast laser writing with confinement is reported. The physical mechanism of confined laser metaphase transformation is understood by molecular dynamics simulation. Ultrafast laser ablation of BP layer under confinement can induce transient nonequilibrium high‐temperature and high‐pressure conditions for a few picoseconds. Under optimized laser intensity, this process induces a metaphase transformation to form a crystalline BP thin film on the substrate. Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques are utilized to characterize the morphology of the resulting BP thin films. Field‐effect transistors are fabricated on the BP films to study their electrical properties. This unique approach offers a general methodology to mass produce large‐scale patterned BP films with a one‐step manufacturing process that has the potential to be applied to other 2D materials.
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Abstract Graphene has a great potential to replace silicon in prospective semiconductor industries due to its outstanding electronic and transport properties; nonetheless, its lack of energy bandgap is a substantial limitation for practical applications. To date, straining graphene to break its lattice symmetry is perhaps the most efficient approach toward realizing bandgap tunability in graphene. However, due to the weak lattice deformation induced by uniaxial or in‐plane shear strain, most strained graphene studies have yielded bandgaps <1 eV. In this work, a modulated inhomogeneous local asymmetric elastic–plastic straining is reported that utilizes GPa‐level laser shocking at a high strain rate (dε/d
t ) ≈ 106–107s−1, with excellent formability, inducing tunable bandgaps in graphene of up to 2.1 eV, as determined by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. High‐resolution imaging and Raman spectroscopy reveal strain‐induced modifications to the atomic and electronic structure in graphene and first‐principles simulations predict the measured bandgap openings. Laser shock modulation of semimetallic graphene to a semiconducting material with controllable bandgap has the potential to benefit the electronic and optoelectronic industries.