Spatially Bandgap-Graded Mo S2（1-x）Se2x Homojunctions for Self-Powered Visible–Near-Infrared Phototransistors

Ternary transition metal dichalcogenide alloys with spatially graded bandgaps are an emerging class of two-dimensional materials with unique features,which opens up new potential for device applications.Here,visible–near-infrared and self-powered phototransistors based on spatially bandgap-graded MoS2(1−x)Se2x alloys,synthesized by a simple and controllable chemical solution deposition method,are reported.The graded bandgaps,arising from the spatial grading of Se composition and thickness within a single domain,are tuned from 1.83 to 1.73 eV,leading to the formation of a homojunction with a builtin electric field.Consequently,a strong and sensitive gate-modulated photovoltaic effect is demonstrated,enabling the homojunction phototransistors at zero bias to deliver a photoresponsivity of 311 mA W−1,a specific detectivity up to^10^11 Jones,and an on/off ratio up to^10^4.Remarkably,when illuminated by the lights ranging from 405 to 808 nm,the biased devices yield a champion photoresponsivity of 191.5 A W−1,a specific detectivity up to^1012 Jones,a photoconductive gain of 10^6–10^7,and a photoresponsive time in the order of^50 ms.These results provide a simple and competitive solution to the bandgap engineering of two-dimensional materials for device applications without the need for p–n junctions.

Band alignment in SiC-based one-dimensional van der Waals homojunctions

The density functional theory method is utilized to verify the electronic structures of SiC nanotubes(SiCNTs) and SiC nanoribbons(SiCNRs) one-dimensional(1D) van der Waals homojunctions(vdWh) under an applied axial strain and an external electric field. According to the calculated results, the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs are direct semiconductors with a type-II band alignment and robust electronic structures with different diameters or widths. Furthermore,the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs are direct semiconductors with a type-I band alignment, respectively, in a range of[-0.3,-0.1] V/A and [0.1, 0.3] V/A and change into metal when the electric field intensity is equal to or higher than0.4 V/A. Interestingly, the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs have robust electronic structures under axial strain. These findings demonstrate theoretically that the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs can be employed in nanoelectronics devices.

Thickness-modulated in-plane Bi2O2Se homojunctions for ultrafast high-performance photodetectors

Bi2O2Se thin film could be one of the promising material candidates for the next-generation electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, the performance of Bi2O2Se thin film-based device is not fully explored in the photodetecting area. Considering the fact that the electrical properties such as carrier mobility, work function, and energy band structure of Bi2O2Se are thickness-dependent, the in-plane Bi2O2Se homojunctions consisting of layers with different thicknesses are successfully synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition(CVD) method across the terraces on the mica substrates,where terraces are created in the mica surface layer peeling off process. In this way, effective internal electrical fields are built up along the Bi2O2Se homojunctions, exhibiting diode-like rectification behavior with an on/off ratio of 102, what is more, thus obtained photodetectors possess highly sensitive and ultrafast features, with a maximum photoresponsivity of 2.5 A/W and a lifetime of 4.8 μs. Comparing with the Bi2O2Se uniform thin films, the photo-electric conversion efficiency is greatly improved for the in-plane homojunctions.

S-scheme regulated Ni_(2)P-NiS/twinned Mn_(0.5)Cd_(0.5)S hetero-homojunctions for efficient photocatalytic H_(2)evolution

Effective bulk phase and surface charge separation is critical for charge utilization during the photo-catalytic energy conversion process.In this work,the ternary Ni_(2)P-NiS/twinned Mn_(0.5)Cd_(0.5)S(T-MCS)nanohybrids were successfully constructed via combining Ni_(2)P-NiS with T-MCS solid solution for visible light photocatalytic H_(2)evolution.T-MCS is composed of zinc blende Mn_(0.5)Cd_(0.5)S(ZB-MCS)and wurtzite Mn_(0.5)Cd_(0.5)S(WZ-MCS)and those two alternatively arranged crystal phases endow T-MCS with excellent bulk phase charge separation performance for the slight energy level difference between ZB-MCS and WZ-MCS.S-scheme carriers transfer route between NiS and T-MCS can accelerate the interfacial charge separation and retain the active electrons and holes,meanwhile,co-catalyst Ni_(2)P as electron receiver and proton reduction center can further optimize the H_(2)evolution reaction kinetics based on the surface Schottky barrier effect.The above-formed homo-heterojunctions can establish multiple charge transfer channels in the bulk phase of T-MCS and interface of T-MCS and Ni_(2)P-NiS.Under the synergistic effect of twinned homojunction,S-scheme heterojunction,and Schottky barrier,the ternary Ni_(2)P-NiS/T-MCS com-posite manifested an H_(2)production rate of 122.5 mmol h^(-1)g^(-1),which was 1.33,1.24,and 2.58 times higher than those of the NiS/T-MCS(92.4 mmol h^(-1)g^(-1)),Ni_(2)P/T-MCS(98.4 mmol h^(-1)g^(-1)),and T-MCS(47.5 mmol h^(-1)g^(-1)),respectively.This work demonstrates a promising strategy to develop efficient sul-fides photocatalyst toward targeted solar-driven H_(2)evolution through homo-heterojunction engineering.

Localized CdS homojunctions with optimal ratio of high and low index facets to dynamically boost H_(2)O splitting into H_(2)energy

Localized CdS homojunctions with optimal ratio of high and low index facets are constructed to dy-namically boost H_(2)O splitting into H_(2)energy by hydrothermal method in combination with calcination.By density functional theory,hall effect,and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spec-troscopy,it is revealed that photo-irradiated e^(−)and h^(+)can be spatially separated and directionally trans-ferred to the reductive high-index facet{002}and oxidative low-index facet{110}of localized CdS homo-junction induced by Fermi level difference of both high and low index facets to dehydrogenate ^(∗)-OH and coupled ^(∗)-O intermediates for H_(2)and O_(2)yield,respectively,along with a solar conversion into hydrogen of 1.93%by AM 1.5 G irradiation at 65℃.The study work suggests a scientific perspective on the optimal ratio of high and low index facets to understand photo-generated charge carrier transfer dynamically and their photocatalytic principle for H_(2)O splitting reaction in kinetics.

Built defects of homogeneous junction to enhance the lithium storage capacity of niobium pentoxide materials

Niobium pentoxide(Nb_(2)O_(5))is deemed one of the promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)for its outstanding intrinsic fast Li-(de)intercalation kinetics.The specific capacity,however,is still limited,because the(de)intercalation of excessive Li-ions brings the undesired stress to damage Nb_(2)O_(5) crystals.To increase the capacity of Nb_(2)O_(5) and alleviate the lattice distortion caused by stress,numerous homogeneous H-and M-phases junction interfaces were proposed to produce coercive stress within theNb_(2)O_(5)crystals.Such interfaces bring about rich oxygen vacancies with structural shrinkage tendency,which pre-generate coercive stress to resist the expansion stress caused by excessive Li-ions intercalation.Therefore,the synthesized Nb_(2)O_(5) achieves the highest lithium storage capacity of 315 mA h g−1 to date,and exhibits high-rate performance(118 mA h g^(-1) at 20 C)as well as excellent cycling stability(138 mA h g^(-1) at 10 C after 600 cycles).

Acid-induced topological morphology modulation of graphitic carbon nitride homojunctions as advanced metal-free catalysts for OER and pollutant degradation

Topological morphology that dominates the surface electronic properties of nanostructures plays a key role in producing desired materials for versatile functions and applications in many fields,but its modulation for specific functions remains a big challenge.Herein,we report an acid-induced method to prepare S-doped graphitic carbon nitride/graphitic carbon nitride(S-CN/CN)homojunction by simply pyrolyzing a supramolecular precursor synthesized from melamine and H_(2)SO_(4).The topological morphology and electronic structure of CN homojunction can be easily adjusted only by changing the ratio of raw materials.Moreover,the topological morphology of S-CN/CN homojunction can be further adjusted from hollow cocoon to 2D nanosheets by changing the annealing conditions.The optimized S-CN/CN homojunction shows highly efficient in charge transfer and separation and exhibits superior OER activity and high ability to degrade organic pollutants.Impressively,S-CN/CN nanosheets only demand low overpotential of301 m V to drive a current density of 10 m Acm^(-2)in 1 M KOH media,and the corresponding Tafel slope is only 57.71 m V/dec,which is superior to the most advanced precious metal Ir O_(2)catalyst.Moreover,under visible light irradiation,its photodegradation kinetic rate of Rh B is 2.38,which is 47.6 times higher than that of bulk CN.This work provides useful guidance for designing and developing efficient multifunctional metal-free catalysts.

Robust transport of charge carriers in in-plane 1T′-2H MoTe_(2) homojunctions with ohmic contact

Metal-semiconductor ohmic contacts are required to reduce the energy dissipation for two-dimensional (2D) electronic devices, and phase engineering of 2D transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) is a promising approach for building ohmic contacts. Here, 2D in-plane 1T′-2H MoTe2 homojunctions were prepared by direct epitaxy via vapor deposition. The interface properties of in-plane 1T′-2H MoTe2 homojunction were investigated in detail by combining experiments, calculations and theories. The ohmic contact properties of 1T′-2H MoTe2 homojunction were proved according to Kelvin force probe microscopy and density functional theory calculations. The charge carriers robust transport in in-plane 1T′-2H MoTe2 homojunction without Fermi-level pinning can be well described by Poisson equation and band alignment. These results indicate that phase engineering of 2D TMDCs is promising to construct ohmic contacts for device applications.

Long-term stability of transparent n/p ZnO homojunctions grown by rf-sputtering at room-temperature

ZnO-based n/p homojunctions were fabricated by sputtering from a single zinc nitride target at room temperature on metal or ITO-coated glass and Si substrates.A multi-target rf-sputtering system was used for the growth of all oxide films as multilayers in a single growth run without breaking the vacuum in the growth chamber.The nitrogen-containing films(less than 1.5 at.% of nitrogen)were n-type ZnO when deposited in oxygen-deficient Ar plasma(10%O_(2))and p-type ZnO when deposited in oxygen-rich Ar plasma(50%O_(2)).The all-oxide homojunction ITO/n-ZnO/p-ZnO/ITO/glass was fabricated in a single deposition run and exhibited visible transparency in the range of 75-85%.The n/p ZnO homojunctions,having metallic contacts,formed on conventionally processed substrates showed a fairly unstable behavior concerning the current-voltage characteristics.However,the same homojunctions formed on Si_(3)N_(4)-patterned substrates and stored in atmosphere for a period of five months were stable exhibiting a turn-on voltage of around 1.5 V.The realization of a room temperature sputtered transparent and stable ZnO homojunction paves the way to the realization of all-oxide transparent optoelectronic devices.

Dual-functional marigold-like Zn_(x)Cd_(1-x)S homojunction for selective glucose photoreforming with remarkable H_(2)coproduction

The global commitment to pivoting to sustainable energy and products calls for technology development to utilize solar energy for hydrogen(H_(2))and value-added chemicals production by biomass photoreforming.Herein,a novel dual-functional marigold-like Zn_(x)Cd_(1-x)S homojunction has been the production of lactic acid with high-yield and H_(2)with high-efficiency by selective glucose photoreforming.The optimized Zn_(0.3)Cd_(0.7)S exhibits outstanding H_(2)generation(13.64 mmol h^(-1)g^(-1)),glucose conversion(96.40%),and lactic acid yield(76.80%),over 272.80 and 19.21 times higher than that of bare ZnS(0.05 mmol h^(-1)g^(-1))and CdS(0.71 mmol h^(-1)g^(-1))in H_(2)generation,respectively.The marigold-like morphology provides abundant active sites and sufficient substrates accessibility for the photocatalyst,while the specific role of the homojunction formed by hexagonal wurtzite(WZ)and cubic zinc blende(ZB)in photoreforming biomass has been demonstrated by density functional theory(DFT)calculations.Glucose is converted to lactic acid on the WZ surface of Zn_(0.3)Cd_(0.7)S via the photoactive species·O_(2)^(-),while the H_(2)is evolved from protons(H^(+))in H_(2)O on the ZB surface of Zn_(0.3)Cd_(0.7)S.This work paves a promising road for the production of sustainable energy and products by integrating photocatalysis and biorefine.

Gradient Si-and Ti-doped Fe_(2)O_(3) hierarchical homojunction photoanode for efficient solar water splitting:Effect of facile microwave-assisted growth of Si-FeOOH on Ti-FeOOH nanocorals

The construction of a homojunction is an effective approach for addressing issues such as slow charge separation and charge-transfer kinetics in photoanodes.In the present work,we designed a gradient Si-and Ti-doped Fe_(2)O_(3) homojunction photoanode to improve the photoelectrochemical(PEC)performance of a Ti-doped Fe_(2)O_(3) photoanode.Ti-FeOOH nanocorals were synthesized using a hydrothermal process,and Si-FeOOH was grown on Ti-FeOOH nanocorals using a rapid and facile microwaveassisted(MW)technique.By varying the MW irradiation time,the thickness of the Si/Ti:Fe_(2)O_(3) photoanode was adjusted and an optimized 3-Si/Ti:Fe_(2)O_(3) photoelectrode was achieved with a significantly enhanced photocurrent density(1.37 mA cm^(-2) at 1.23 V vs.RHE)and a cathodic shift of the onset potential(150 mV)compared with that of bare Ti-Fe_(2)O_(3).This enhanced PEC performance can be ascribed to homojunction formation and Si gradient doping.The Si dopant increased the donor concentration and the formation of a homojunction improved the intrinsic built-in electric field,thereby promoting charge separation and charge transfer.Furthermore,the as-formed homojunction passivated the surfacetrapping states,consequently improving the charge transfer efficiency(60%at 1.23 VRHE)at the photoanode/electrolyte interface.These findings could pave the way for the microwave-assisted fabrication of diverse efficient homojunction photoanodes for PEC water splitting applications.

Homojunction structure amorphous oxide thin film transistors with ultra-high mobility

Amorphous oxide semiconductors(AOS)have unique advantages in transparent and flexible thin film transistors(TFTs)applications,compared to low-temperature polycrystalline-Si(LTPS).However,intrinsic AOS TFTs are difficult to obtain field-effect mobility(μFE)higher than LTPS(100 cm^(2)/(V·s)).Here,we design ZnAlSnO(ZATO)homojunction structure TFTs to obtainμFE=113.8 cm^(2)/(V·s).The device demonstrates optimized comprehensive electrical properties with an off-current of about1.5×10^(-11)A,a threshold voltage of–1.71 V,and a subthreshold swing of 0.372 V/dec.There are two kinds of gradient coupled in the homojunction active layer,which are micro-crystallization and carrier suppressor concentration gradient distribution so that the device can reduce off-current and shift the threshold voltage positively while maintaining high field-effect mobility.Our research in the homojunction active layer points to a promising direction for obtaining excellent-performance AOS TFTs.

Effect of homojunction structure in boosting sodium-ion storage: The case of MoO_(2)

High-efficiency sodium-ion batteries(SIBs) are in great demand for energy storage applications,which are dominated by the Na+storage performance of electrode materials.Here,a one-pot solvothermal method is developed to construct amorphous/crystalline MoO_(2)(a/c-MoO_(2)) homojunction for boosting Na+storage.Theoretical simulations signify that electrons redistribute at the homogenous interface of a/c-MoO_(2),resulting in an inbuilt driving force to easily adsorb charge carriers and promote the electron/ion transfer ability.Relying on its crystallographic superiorities,the a/c-MoO_(2)homojunction with high Na adsorbability(-1.61 eV) and low Na diffusion energy barrier(0.519 eV) achieves higher capacity(307 mA h g^(-1)at 0.1 A/g),better rate capability and cycling stability than either a-MoO_(2)or c-MoO_(2)counterpart.Combining in-situ X-ray diffraction(XRD) and ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)techniques,the ’adsorption-insertion-conversion’ mechanism is well established for Na+storage of MoO_(2).Our work opens new opportunities to optimize electrode materials via crystallographic engineering for efficient Na+storage,and helps to better understand the effects of homojunction structure in enhanced electrochemical performance.

Competitive assembling strategy to construct carbon nitride homojunctions for boosting photocatalytic performance

Both morphology and composition have a great influence on the properties and functions of materials,however,how to rational modulate both of them to achieve their synergistic effects has been a longstanding expectation.Herein,we demonstrate a competitive assembling strategy for the construction of metal-free graphite carbon nitride(CN)homojunctions in which morphology and composition can be easily controlled simultaneously by only changing the ratio of assembly raw materials.These homojunctions are comprised of porous nanotubular S-doped CN(SCN)grafted with CN nanovesicles,which are derived from thermal polycondensation of melamine-thiocyanuric acid(M-T)/melamine-cyanuric acid(M-C)supramolecular hybrid blocks.This unique architecture and component engineering endows the novel SCN-CN homojunction with abundant active sites,enhanced visible trapping ability,and intimate interface contact.As a result,the synthesized SCN-CN homojunctions demonstrate high photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution and pollutant degradation.This developed strategy opens up intriguing opportu-nities for the rational construction of intricate metal-free heterostructures with controllable architecture and interfacial contact for applications in energy-related fields.

Photodetectors based on junctions of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides

Transition metal dichalcogenides （TMDCs） have gained considerable attention because of their novel properties and great potential applications. The flakes of TMDCs not only have great light absorption from visible to near infrared, but also can be stacked together regardless of lattice mismatch like other two-dimensional （2D） materials. Along with the studies on intrinsic properties of TMDCs, the junctions based on TMDCs become more and more important in applications of photodetection. The junctions have shown many exciting possibilities to fully combine the advantages of TMDCs, other 2D materials, conventional and organic semiconductors together. Early studies have greatly enriched the application of TMDCs in photodetection. In this review, we investigate the efforts in photodetectors based on the junctions of TMDCs and analyze the properties of those photodetectors. Homojunctions based on TMDCs can be made by surface chemical doping, elemental doping and electrostatic gating. Heterojunction formed between TMDCs/2D materials, TMDCs/conventional semiconductors and TMDCs/organic semiconductor also deserve more attentions. We also compare the advantages and disadvantages of different junctions, and then give the prospects for the development of junctions based on TMDCs.

Black phosphorus junctions and their electrical and optoelectronic applications

Black phosphorus(BP),an emerging two-dimensional material,is considered a promising candidate for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices due to in-plane anisotropy,high mobility,and direct bandgap.However,BP devices face challenges due to their limited stability,photo-response speed,and detection range.To enhance BP with powerful electrical and optical performance,the BP heterostructures can be created.In this review,the state-of-the-art heterostructures and their electrical and optoelectronic applications based on black phosphorus are discussed.Five parts introduce the performance of BP-based devices,including black phosphorus sandwich structure by hBN with better stability and higher mobility,black phosphorus homojunction by dual-gate structure for optical applications,black phosphorus heterojunction with other 2D materials for faster photo-detection,black phosphorus heterojunction integration with 3 D bulk material,and BP via Asdoping tunable bandgap enabling photo-detection up to 8.2μm.Finally,we discuss the challenges and prospects for BP electrical and optical devices and applications.

Efficient doping modulation of monolayer WS_2 for optoelectronic applications

Transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs) belong to a subgroup of two-dimensional(2 D) materials which usually possess thickness-dependent band structures and semiconducting properties. Therefore, for TMDCs to be widely used in electronic and optoelectronic applications, two critical issues need to be addressed, which are thickness-controllable fabrication and doping modulation of TMDCs. In this work, we successfully obtained monolayer WS2 and achieved its efficient doping by chemical vapor deposition and chemical doping, respectively. The n-and p-type dopings of the monolayer WS2 were achieved by drop coating electron donor and acceptor solutions of triphenylphosphine(PPh3) and gold chloride(AuCl_3), respectively, on the surface, which donates and captures electrons to/from the WS2 surface through charge transfer, respectively. Both doping effects were investigated in terms of the electrical properties of the fabricated field effect transistors. After chemical doping, the calculated mobility and density of electrons/holes are around 74.6/39.5 cm^2 · V^(-1) ·s^(-1)and 1.0 x 10^(12)/4.2 x 10^(11) cm^(-2), respectively. Moreover, we fabricated a lateral WS2 p-n homojunction consisting of nondoped n-type and p-doped p-type regions, which showed great potential for photodetection with a response time of 1.5 s and responsivity of 5.8 A/W at V_G = 0 V and V_D = 1 V under 532 nm light illumination.

A Self-Powered Fast-Response Ultraviolet Detector of p–n Homojunction Assembled from Two ZnO-Based Nanowires

Nowadays, fabrication of micro/nano-scale electronic devices with bottom-up approach is paid much research attention. Here, we provide a novel micro/nano-assembling method, which is accurate and efficient, especially suitable for the fabrication of micro/nano-scale electronic devices. Using this method, a self-powered ZnO/Sb-doped ZnO nanowire p–n homojunction ultraviolet detector(UVD) was fabricated, and the detailed photoelectric properties were tested. At a reverse bias of -0.1 V under UV light illumination, the photoresponse sensitivity of the UVD was 26.5 and the rise/decay time of the UVD was as short as 30 ms. The micro/nano-assembling method has wide potential applications in the fabrication of specific micro/nano-scale electronic devices.

Fabrication of c-Si：H（p）/c-Si（n） Heterojunction Solar Cells with Microcrystalline Emitters

The p-type microcrystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） on n-type crystalline silicon （c-Si） heterojunction solar cells is fabricated by radio-frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （rf-PECVD）. The effect of the μc- Si：Hp-layers on the performance of the heterojunction solar cells is investigated. Optimum μc-Si：H p-layer is obtained with hydrogen dil u tion ratio of 99.65 %, rf-power of 0. 08 W/cm^2 , gas phase doping ratio of 0. 125 %, and the p-layer thickness of 15nm. We fabricate μc-Si：H（p）/c-Si（n） heterojunction solar cells without texturing and obtained an efficiency of 13.4%. The comparisons of the solar-cell performances using different surface passivation techniques are discussed.

Large unsaturated magnetoresistance of 2D magnetic semiconductor Fe-SnS_(2) homojunction

A magnetic semiconductor whose electronic charge and spin can be regulated together will be an important compon-ent of future spintronic devices.Here,we construct a two-dimensional(2D)Fe doped SnS_(2)(Fe-SnS_(2))homogeneous junction and investigate its electromagnetic transport feature.The Fe-SnS_(2) homojunction device showed large positive and unsatur-ated magnetoresistance(MR)of 1800%in the parallel magnetic field and 600%in the vertical magnetic field,indicating an obvi-ous anisotropic MR feature.In contrast,The MR of Fe-SnS_(2) homojunction is much larger than the pure diamagnetic SnS_(2) and most 2D materials.The application of a gate voltage can regulate the MR effect of Fe-SnS_(2) homojunction devices.Moreover,the stability of Fe-SnS_(2) in air has great application potential.Our Fe-SnS_(2) homojunction has a significant potential in future mag-netic memory applications.