Defect-engineered two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides towards electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

Recently,two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)demonstrated their great potential as cost-effective catalysts in hydrogen evolution reaction.Herein,we systematically summarize the existing defect engineering strategies,including intrinsic defects(atomic vacancy and active edges)and extrinsic defects(metal doping,nonmetal doping,and hybrid doping),which have been utilized to obtain advanced TMD-based electrocatalysts.Based on theoretical simulations and experimental results,the electronic structure,intermediate adsorption/desorption energies and possible catalytic mechanisms are thoroughly discussed.Particular emphasis is given to the intrinsic relationship between various types of defects and electrocatalytic properties.Furthermore,current opportunities and challenges for mechanical investigations and applications of defective TMD-based catalysts are presented.The aim herein is to reveal the respective properties of various defective TMD catalysts and provide valuable insights for fabricating high-efficiency TMD-based electrocatalysts.

Current advances of transition metal dichalcogenides in electromagnetic wave absorption:A brief review

Transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)show great advantages in electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorption due to their unique structure and electrical properties.Tremendous research works on TMD-based EMW absorbers have been conducted in the last three years,and the comprehensive and systematical summary is still a rarity.Therefore,it is of great significance to elaborate on the interaction among the morphologies,structures,phases,components,and EMW absorption performances of TMD-based absorbers.This review is devoted to analyzing TMD-based absorbers from the following perspectives:the EMW absorption regulation strategies of TMDs and the latest progress of TMD-based hybrids as EMW absorbers.The absorption mechanisms and component-performance dependency of these achievements are also summarized.Finally,a straightforward insight into industrial revolution upgrading in this promising field is proposed.

Hydrogenic donor impurity states and intersubband optical absorption spectra of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides in dielectric environments

The hydrogenic donor impurity states and intersubband optical absorption spectra in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides(ML TMDs) under dielectric environments are theoretically investigated based on a two-dimensional(2D)nonorthogonal associated Laguerre basis set. The 2D quantum confinement effect together with the strongly reduced dielectric screening results in the strong attractive Coulomb potential between electron and donor ion, with exceptionally large impurity binding energy and huge intersubband oscillator strength. These lead to the strong interaction of the electron with light in a 2D regime. The intersubband optical absorption spectra exhibit strong absorption lines of the non-hydrogenic Rydberg series in the mid-infrared range of light. The strength of the Coulomb potential can be controlled by changing the dielectric environment. The electron affinity difference leads to charge transfer between ML TMD and the dielectric environment, generating the polarization-electric field in ML TMD accompanied by weakening the Coulomb interaction strength. The larger the dielectric constant of the dielectric environment, the more the charge transfer is, accompanied by the larger polarization-electric field and the stronger dielectric screening. The dielectric environment is shown to provide an efficient tool to tune the wavelength and output of the mid-infrared intersubband devices based on ML TMDs.

Growing Biomorphic Transition Metal Dichalcogenides and Their Alloys Toward High Permeable Membranes and Efficient Electrocatalysts Applications

3D architecratured transition metal dichalcogenides constructed by atomically thin layers are appealing building blocks in various applications,such as catalysts,energy storage,conversions,sensors,and so on.However,the direct growth of 3D transition metal dichalcogenides architectures with high crystal quality and well-controlled size/thickness remains a huge challenge.Herein,we report a facile,highly-repeatable,and versatile chemical vapor deposition strategy,for the mass production of high-quality 3D-architecratured transition metal dichalcogenides(e.g.,MoS_(2),WS_(2),and ReS_(2))and their alloys(e.g.,W_(x)Mo(1–x)S_(2)and Rex Mo_((1–x))S_(2))nanosheets on naturally abundant and low-cost diatomite templates.Particularly,the purified transition metal dichalcogenides products exhibit unique and designable 3D biomorphic hierarchical microstructures,controllable layer thicknesses,tailorable chemical compositions,and good crystallinities.The weak interlayer interactions endow them with good dispersity in solutions to form stable additive-free inks for solution-processing-based applications,for example,high-permeable and high-stable separation membranes for water purification,and efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions.This work paves ways for the low-cost,mass production of versatile transition metal dichalcogenides powder-like materials with designable structures and properties,toward energy/environmental-related applications and beyond.

MoiréDirac fermions in transition metal dichalcogenides heterobilayers

Monolayer group-VIB transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)feature low-energy massive Dirac fermions,which have valley contrasting Berry curvature.This nontrivial local band topology gives rise to valley Hall transport and optical selection rules for interband transitions that open up new possibilities for valleytronics.However,the large bandgap in TMDs results in relatively small Berry curvature,leading to weak valley contrasting physics in practical experiments.Here,we show that Dirac fermions with tunable large Berry curvature can be engineered in moirésuperlattice of TMD heterobilayers.These moiréDirac fermions are created in a magnified honeycomb lattice with its sublattice degree of freedom formed by two local moirépotential minima.We show that applying an on-site potential can tune the moiréflat bands into helical ones.In short-period moirésuperlattice,we find that the two moirévalleys become asymmetric,which results in a net spin Hall current.More interestingly,a circularly polarized light drives these moiréDirac fermions into quantum anomalous Hall phase with chiral edge states.Our results open a new possibility to design the moiré-scale spin and valley physics using TMD moiréstructures.

Electronic structures and elastic properties of monolayer and bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides MX_2(M= Mo,W;X= O,S,Se,Te):A comparative first-principles study

First-principle calculations with different exchange-correlation functionals, including LDA, PBE, and vd W-DF functional in the form of opt B88-vd W, have been performed to investigate the electronic and elastic properties of twodimensional transition metal dichalcogenides（TMDCs） with the formula of MX2（M = Mo, W; X = O, S, Se, Te） in both monolayer and bilayer structures. The calculated band structures show a direct band gap for monolayer TMDCs at the K point except for MoO2 and WO2. When the monolayers are stacked into a bilayer, the reduced indirect band gaps are found except for bilayer WTe2, in which the direct gap is still present at the K point. The calculated in-plane Young moduli are comparable to that of graphene, which promises possible application of TMDCs in future flexible and stretchable electronic devices. We also evaluated the performance of different functionals including LDA, PBE, and opt B88-vd W in describing elastic moduli of TMDCs and found that LDA seems to be the most qualified method. Moreover, our calculations suggest that the Young moduli for bilayers are insensitive to stacking orders and the mechanical coupling between monolayers seems to be negligible.

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.

Catalyst activation: Surface doping effects of group Ⅵ transition metal dichalcogenides towards hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic media

Two-dimensional(2D) transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs) have emerged as promising alternatives to the platinum-based catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER). The edge site of these2D materials exhibits HER-active properties, whereas the large-area basal plane is inactive.Therefore, recent studies and methodologies have been investigated to improve the performance of TMD-based materials by activating inactive sites through elemental doping strategies. In this review,we focus on the metal and non-metal dopant effects on group VI TMDs such as MoS_(2) MoSe_(2) WS_(2)and WSe_(2) for promoting HER performances in acidic electrolytes. A general introduction to the HER is initially provided to explain the parameters in accessing the catalytic performance of dopedTMDs. Then, synthetic methods for doped-TMDs and their HER performances are introduced in order to understand the effect of various dopants including metallic and non-metallic elements. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities are summarized to provide insights into developing highly active and stable doped-TMD materials and valuable guidelines for engineering TMD-based nanocatalysts for practical water splitting technologies.

Dual bound states in the continuum enhanced second harmonic generation with transition metal dichalcogenides monolayer

The emergence of two dimensional(2D)materials has opened new possibilities for exhibiting second harmonic genera-tion(SHG)at the nanoscale,due to their remarkable optical response related to stable excitons at room temperature.However,the ultimate atomic-scale interaction length with light makes the SHG of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides(TM-Ds)monolayers naturally weak.Here,we propose coupling a monolayer of TMDs with a photonic grating slab that works with doubly resonant bound states in the continuum(BIC).The BIC slabs are designed to exhibit a pair of BICs,reson-ant with both the fundamental wave(FW)and the second harmonic wave(SHW).Firstly,the spatial mode matching can be fulfilled by tilting FW's incident angle.We theoretically demonstrate that this strategy leads to more than four orders of magnitude enhancement of SHG efficiency than a sole monolayer of TMDs,under a pump light intensity of 0.1 GW/cm^(2).Moreover,we demonstrate that patterning the TMDs monolayer can further enhance the spatial overlap coefficient,which leads to an extra three orders of magnitude enhancement of SHG efficiency.These results demonstrate remarkable pos-sibilities for enhancing SHG with nonlinear 2D materials,opening many opportunities for chip-based light sources,nano-lasers,imaging,and biochemical sensing.

In situ TEM revealing the effects of dislocations on lithium-ion migration in transition metal dichalcogenides

The two-dimensional (2D) structure of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) provides unusual physical properties [1,2]and chemical reactivity [3,4], which can be influenced by defects such as dislocations [5,6]. For example, dislocations can act as nucleation sites for the onset of deformation when subjected to stress [7].

Electronic structure of transition metal dichalcogenides PdTe_2 and Cu_(0.05)PdTe_2 superconductors obtained by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

The layered transition metal chalcogenides have been a fertile land in solid state physics for many decades. Various MX2-type transition metal dichalcogenides, such as WTe2, IrTe2, and MoS2, have triggered great attention recently, either for the discovery of novel phenomena or some extreme or exotic physical properties, or for their potential applications. PdTe2 is a superconductor in the class of transition metal dichalcogenides, and superconductivity is enhanced in its Cu- intercalated form, Cuo.05PdTe2. It is important to study the electronic structures of PdTe2 and its intercalated form in order to explore for new phenomena and physical properties and understand the related superconductivity enhancement mecha- nism. Here we report systematic high resolution angle-resolved photoemission （ARPES） studies on PdTe2 and Cuo.05PdTe2 single crystals, combined with the band structure calculations. We present in detail for the first time the complex multi-band Fermi surface topology and densely-arranged band structure of these compounds. By carefully examining the electronic structures of the two systems, we find that Cu-intercalation in PdTe2 results in electron-doping, which causes the band structure to shift downwards by nearly 16 meV in Cuo.05PdTe2. Our results lay a foundation for further exploration and investigation on PdTe2 and related superconductors.

Imaging the crystal orientation of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides using polarization-resolved second-harmonic generation

We use laser-scanning nonlinear imaging microscopy in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)to reveal information on the crystalline orientation distribution,within the 2D lattice.In particular,we perform polarization-resolved second-harmonic generation(PSHG)imaging in a stationary,raster-scanned chemical vapor deposition(CVD)-grown WS2 flake,in order to obtain with high precision a spatially resolved map of the orientation of its main crystallographic axis(armchair orientation).By fitting the experimental PSHG images of sub-micron resolution into a generalized nonlinear model,we are able to determine the armchair orientation for every pixel of the image of the 2D material,with further improved resolution.This pixel-wise mapping of the armchair orientation of 2D WS2 allows us to distinguish between different domains,reveal fine structure,and estimate the crystal orientation variability,which can be used as a unique crystal quality marker over large areas.The necessity and superiority of a polarization-resolved analysis over intensity-only measurements is experimentally demonstrated,while the advantages of PSHG over other techniques are analysed and discussed.

Transition Metal Dichalcogenides(WS2 and MoS2)Saturable Absorbers for Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Lasers

We demonstrate an ultrafast fiber laser based on transition metal dichalcogenide materials which are tungsten disulfide (WS2) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as saturable absorber (SA). These materials are fabricated via a simple drop-casting method. By employing WS2, we obtain a stable harmonic mode-locking at the threshold pump power of 184 mW, and the generated soliton pulse has 3.48 MHz of repetition rate. At the maximum pump power of 250 mW, we also obtain a small value of pulse duration, 2.43 ps with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 57 dB. For MoS2 SA, the pulse is generated at 105 mW pump power with repetition rate of 1.16 MHz. However, the pulse duration cannot be detected by the autocorrelator device as the pulse duration recorded is 468 ns, with the SNR value of 35 dB.

Perovskite-transition metal dichalcogenides heterostructures: recent advances and future perspectives

Transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)and perovskites are among the most attractive and widely investigated semiconductors in the recent decade.They are promising materials for various applications,such as photodetection,solar energy harvesting,light emission,and many others.Combining these materials to form heterostructures can enrich the already fascinating properties and bring up new phenomena and opportunities.Work in this field is growing rapidly in both fundamental studies and device applications.Here,we review the recent findings in the perovskite-TMD heterostructures and give our perspectives on the future development of this promising field.The fundamental properties of the perovskites,TMDs,and their heterostructures are discussed first,followed by a summary of the synthesis methods of the perovskites and TMDs and the approaches to obtain high-quality interfaces.Particular attention is paid to the TMD-perovskite heterostructures that have been applied in solar cells and photodetectors with notable performance improvement.Finally through our analysis,we propose an outline on further fundamental studies and the promising applications of perovskite-TMD heterostructures.

Review of ultrafast spectroscopy studies of valley carrier dynamics in two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides

The two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides provide new opportunities in future valley-based in- formation processing and also provide an ideal platform to study excitonic effects. At the center of various device physics toward their possible electronic and optoelectronic applications is understanding the dynamical evolution of various many- particle electronic states, especially exciton which dominates the optoelectronic response of TMDs, under the novel con- text of valley degree of freedom. Here, we provide a brief review of experimental advances in using helicity-resolved ultrafast spectroscopy, especially ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy, to study the dynamical evolution of valley-related many-particle electronic states in semiconducting monolayer transitional metal dichalcogenides.

Topological superconductivity in Janus monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides

The Janus monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)MXY(M=Mo,W,etc.and X,Y=S,Se,etc.)have been successfully synthesized in recent years.The Rashba spin splitting in these compounds arises due to the breaking of out-of-plane mirror symmetry.Here we study the pairing symmetry of superconducting Janus monolayer TMDs within the weak-coupling framework near critical temperature Tc,of which the Fermi surface(FS)sheets centered around bothΓand K(K′)points.We find that the strong Rashba splitting produces two kinds of topological superconducting states which differ from that in its parent compounds.More specifically,at relatively high chemical potentials,we obtain a timereversal invariant s+f+p-wave mixed superconducting state,which is fully gapped and topologically nontrivial,i.e.,a Z_(2) topological state.On the other hand,a time-reversal symmetry breaking d+p+f-wave superconducting state appears at lower chemical potentials.This state possess a large Chern number|C|=6 at appropriate pairing strength,demonstrating its nontrivial band topology.Our results suggest the Janus monolayer TMDs to be a promising candidate for the intrinsic helical and chiral topological superconductors.

Metal substrates-induced phase transformation of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides for hydrogen evolution catalysis

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides can normally exist in several structural polymorphs with distinct electrical,optical,and catalytic properties.Effective control of the relative stability and transformation of different phases in these materials is thus of critical importance for applications.Using density functional theory calculations,we investigate the effects of low-work-function metal substrates including Ti,Zr,and Hf on the structural,electronic,and catalytic properties of monolayer MoS_(2) and WS_(2).The results indicate that such substrates not only convert the energetically stable structure from the 1H phase to the 1T'/1T phase,but also significantly reduce the kinetic barriers of the phase transformation.Furthermore,our calculations also indicate that the 1T' phase of MoS_(2) with Zr or Hf substrate is a potential catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Lattice Mismatch Induced Tunable Dimensionality of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Low-dimensional materials have excellent properties which are closely related to their dimensionality.However,the growth mechanism underlying tunable dimensionality from 2D triangles to 1D ribbons of such materials is still unrevealed.Here,we establish a general kinetic Monte Carlo model for transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs) growth to address such an issue.Our model is able to reproduce several key findings in experiments,and reveals that the dimensionality is determined by the lattice mismatch and the interaction strength between TMDs and the substrate.We predict that the dimensionality can be well tuned by the interaction strength and the geometry of the substrate.Our work deepens the understanding of tunable dimensionality of low-dimensional materials and may inspire new concepts for the design of such materials with expected dimensionality.

Diverse atomic structure configurations of metal-doped transition metal dichalcogenides for enhancing hydrogen evolution

Doping foreign metal atoms into the substrate of transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)enables the formation of diverse atomic structure configurations,including isolated atoms,chains,and clusters.Therefore,it is very important to reasonably control the atomic structure and determine the structure-activity relationship between the atomic configurations and the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)performance.Although numerous studies have indicated that doping can yield diverse atomic structure configurations,there remains an incomplete understanding of the relationship between atomic configurations within the lattice of TMDs and their performance.Here,diverse atomic structure configurations of adsorptive doping,substitutional doping,and TMDs alloys are summarized.The structure-activity relationship between different atomic configurations and HER performance can be determined by micro-nanostructure devices and density functional theory(DFT)calculations.These diverse atomic structure configurations are of great significance for activating the inert basal plane of TMDs and improving the catalytic activity of HER.Finally,we have summarized the current challenges and future opportunities,offering new perspectives for the design of highly active and stable metal-doped TMDs catalysts.

Excitonic devices based on two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides van der Waals heterostructures

Excitonic devices are an emerging class of technology that utilizes excitons as carriers for encoding, transmitting, and storing information. Van der Waals heterostructures based on transition metal dichalcogenides often exhibit a type II band alignment, which facilitates the generation of interlayer excitons. As a bonded pair of electrons and holes in the separation layer, interlayer excitons offer the chance to investigate exciton transport due to their intrinsic out-of-plane dipole moment and extended exciton lifetime. Furthermore, interlayer excitons can potentially analyze other encoding strategies for information processing beyond the conventional utilization of spin and charge. The review provided valuable insights and recommendations for researchers studying interlayer excitonic devices within van der Waals heterostructures based on transition metal dichalcogenides. Firstly, we provide an overview of the essential attributes of transition metal dichalcogenide materials, focusing on their fundamental properties, excitonic effects, and the distinctive features exhibited by interlayer excitons in van der Waals heterostructures. Subsequently, this discourse emphasizes the recent advancements in interlayer excitonic devices founded on van der Waals heterostructures, with specific attention is given to the utilization of valley electronics for information processing, employing the valley index. In conclusion, this paper examines the potential and current challenges associated with excitonic devices.