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Creators/Authors contains: "Xiao, Kai"

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  1. Abstract

    Van der Waals semiconductors (vdWS) offer superior mechanical and electrical properties and are promising for flexible microelectronics when combined with polymer substrates. However, the self‐passivated vdWS surfaces and their weak adhesion to polymers tend to cause interfacial sliding and wrinkling, and thus, are still challenging the reliability of vdWS‐based flexible devices. Here, an effective covalent vdWS–polymer lamination method with high stretch tolerance and excellent electronic performance is reported. Using molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a case study, gold–chalcogen bonding and mercapto silane bridges are leveraged. The resulting composite structures exhibit more uniform and stronger interfacial adhesion. This enhanced coupling also enables the observation of a theoretically predicted tension‐induced band structure transition in MoS2. Moreover, no obvious degradation in the devices’ structural and electrical properties is identified after numerous mechanical cycle tests. This high‐quality lamination enhances the reliability of vdWS‐based flexible microelectronics, accelerating their practical applications in biomedical research and consumer electronics.

     
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available February 25, 2025
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  3. Abstract

    While hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has been widely used as a buffer or encapsulation layer for emerging electronic devices, interest in utilizing it for large‐area chemical barrier coating has somewhat faded. A chemical vapor deposition process is reported here for the conformal growth of hBN on large surfaces of various alloys and steels, regardless of their complex shapes. In contrast to the previously reported very limited protection by hBN against corrosion and oxidation, protection of steels against 10% HCl and oxidation resistance at 850 °C in air is demonstrated. Furthermore, an order of magnitude reduction in the friction coefficient of the hBN coated steels is shown. The growth mechanism is revealed in experiments on thin metal films, where the tunable growth of single‐crystal hBN with a selected number of layers is demonstrated. The key distinction of the process is the use of N2gas, which gets activated exclusively on the catalyst's surface and eliminates adverse gas‐phase reactions. This rate‐limiting step allowed independent control of activated nitrogen along with boron coming from a solid source (like elemental boron). Using abundant and benign precursors, this approach can be readily adopted for large‐scale hBN synthesis in applications where cost, production volume, and process safety are essential.

     
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  4. Abstract

    Tailoring the electrical transport properties of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides can enable the formation of atomically thin circuits. In this work, cyclic hydrogen and oxygen plasma exposures are utilized to introduce defects and oxidize MoS2in a controlled manner. This results in the formation of sub-stochiometric MoO3−x, which transforms the semiconducting behavior to metallic conduction. To demonstrate functionality, single flakes of MoS2were lithographically oxidized using electron beam lithography and subsequent plasma exposures. This enabled the formation of atomically thin inverters from a single flake of MoS2, which represents an advancement toward atomically thin circuitry.

     
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  5. Abstract

    It is widely accepted that solid‐state membranes are indispensable media for the graphene process, particularly transfer procedures. But these membranes inevitably bring contaminations and residues to the transferred graphene and consequently compromise the material quality. This study reports a newly observed free‐standing graphene‐water membrane structure, which replaces the conventional solid‐state supporting media with liquid film to sustain the graphene integrity and continuity. Experimental observation, theoretical model, and molecular dynamics simulations consistently indicate that the high surface tension of pure water and its large contact angle with graphene are essential factors for forming such a membrane structure. More interestingly, water surface tension ensures the flatness of graphene layers and renders high transfer quality on many types of target substrates. This report enriches the understanding of the interactions on reduced dimensional material while rendering an alternative approach for scalable layered material processing with ensured quality for advanced manufacturing.

     
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