Recently, two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) have been demonstrated to realize field effect transistors (FET) with a large current on-off ratio. However, the carrier mobility in backgate MoS2 FET is rather low (typically 0.5–20 cm2/V·s). Here, we report a novel field-effect Schottky barrier transistors (FESBT) based on graphene-MoS2 heterojunction (GMH), where the characteristics of high mobility from graphene and high on-off ratio from MoS2 are properly balanced in the novel transistors. Large modulation on the device current (on/off ratio of 105) is achieved by adjusting the backgate (through 300 nm SiO2) voltage to modulate the graphene-MoS2 Schottky barrier. Moreover, the field effective mobility of the FESBT is up to 58.7 cm2/V·s. Our theoretical analysis shows that if the thickness of oxide is further reduced, a subthreshold swing (SS) of 40 mV/decade can be maintained within three orders of drain current at room temperature. This provides an opportunity to overcome the limitation of 60 mV/decade for conventional CMOS devices. The FESBT implemented with a high on-off ratio, a relatively high mobility and a low subthreshold promises low-voltage and low-power applications for future electronics.

The continuous tuning of the emission spectrum of a single light-emitting diode (LED) by an external electrical bias is of great technological significance as a crucial property in high-quality displays, yet this capability has not been demonstrated in existing LEDs. Graphene, a tunable optical platform, is a promising medium to achieve this goal. Here we demonstrate a bright spectrally tunable electroluminescence from blue (∼450 nm) to red (∼750 nm) at the graphene oxide/reduced-graphene oxide interface. We explain the electroluminescence results from the recombination of Poole–Frenkel emission ionized electrons at the localized energy levels arising from semi-reduced graphene oxide, and holes from the top of the π band. Tuning of the emission wavelength is achieved by gate modulation of the participating localized energy levels. Our demonstration of current-driven tunable LEDs not only represents a method for emission wavelength tuning but also may find applications in high-quality displays.

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water electrolysis is an attractive technique developed in recent years for cost-effective clean energy. Although considerable efforts have been paid to create efficient catalysts for HER, the development of an affordable HER catalyst with superior performance under mild conditions is still highly desired. In this work, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-templated strategy is proposed for in situ coupling of cobalt phosphide (CoP) polyhedrons nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Due to the synergistic catalytic effect between CoP polyhedrons and CNTs, the as-prepared CoP-CNTs hybrids show excellent HER performance. The resultant CoP-CNTs demonstrate excellent HER activity in 0.5 m H SO with Tafel slope of 52 mV dec , small onset overpotential of ≈64 mV, and a low overpotential of ≈139 mV at 10 mA cm . Additionally, the catalyst also manifests superior durability in acid media. Considering the structure diversity of MOFs, the strategy presented here can be extended for synthesizing other well-defined metal phosphides-CNTs hybrids, which may be used in the fields of catalysis, energy conversion and storage.

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) based on water splitting holds great promise for clean energy technologies, in which the key issue is exploring cost-effective materials to replace noble metal catalysts. Here, a sequential chemical etching and pyrolysis strategy are developed to prepare molybdenum carbide-decorated metallic cobalt@nitrogen-doped porous carbon polyhedrons (denoted as Mo/Co@N-C) hybrids for enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The obtained metallic Co nanoparticles are coated by N-doped carbon thin layers while the formed molybdenum carbide nanoparticles are well-dispersed in the whole Co@N-C frames. Benefiting from the additionally implanted molybdenum carbide active sites, the HER performance of Mo/Co@N-C hybrids is significantly promoted compared with the single Co@N-C that is derived from the pristine ZIF-67 both in alkaline and acidic media. As a result, the as-synthesized Mo/Co@N-C hybrids exhibit superior HER electrocatalytic activity, and only very low overpotentials of 157 and 187 mV are needed at 10 mA cm in 1 m KOH and 0.5 m H SO , respectively, opening a door for rational design and fabrication of novel low-cost electrocatalysts with hierarchical structures toward electrochemical energy storage and conversion.

Laser scribing is an attractive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) growth and patterning technology because the process is low-cost, time-efficient, transfer-free, and flexible. Various laser-scribed rGO (LSG) components such as capacitors, gas sensors, and strain sensors have been demonstrated. However, obstacles remain toward practical application of the technology where all the components of a system are fabricated using laser scribing. Memory components, if developed, will substantially broaden the application space of low-cost, flexible electronic systems. For the first time, a low-cost approach to fabricate resistive random access memory (ReRAM) using laser-scribed rGO as the bottom electrode is experimentally demonstrated. The one-step laser scribing technology allows transfer-free rGO synthesis directly on flexible substrates or non-flat substrates. Using this time-efficient laser-scribing technology, the patterning of a memory-array area up to 100 cm(2) can be completed in 25 min. Without requiring the photoresist coating for lithography, the surface of patterned rGO remains as clean as its pristine state. Ag/HfOx/LSG ReRAM using laser-scribing technology is fabricated in this work. Comprehensive electrical characteristics are presented including forming-free behavior, stable switching, reasonable reliability performance and potential for 2-bit storage per memory cell. The results suggest that laser-scribing technology can potentially produce more cost-effective and time-effective rGO-based circuits and systems for practical applications.

A facile and effective pyrolysis stratagem is proposed for the synthesis of hierarchical MoC/C nanosheet hybrids with sodium chloride (NaCl) crystals as a template. Large numbers of well-dispersed sheet-like MoC nanoparticles with the thickness of about 20 nm were anchored on the surface of carbon nanosheets. Benefiting from the ideal synergistic catalytic effect between the highly active sheet-like MoC nanoparticles and the conductive graphitic carbon, and strong charge transfer ability, the unique hierarchical sheet-like structure of MoC/C hybrids demonstrated excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance in both alkaline and acid medias with small overpotential (125 mV for 10 mA cm in 1 M KOH and 180 mV for 10 mA cm in 0.5 M HSO) and remarkable stability, which is comparable to most reported non-noble metal HER electrocatalysts. With the simplicity and low-cost of the synthetic approach, the strategy presented here can be extendable to the preparation of other transition metal-based/carbon nanosheet hybrids for versatile applications.

A simple wet ball‐milling method for exfoliating pristine graphite to graphene nanosheets is proposed. The surfactant of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide is utilized to greatly improve the exfoliation efficiency of graphene nanosheets. Variation of the ball‐milling time is an efficient way to control the size and thickness of graphene nanosheets, as well as the level of edge defects. With an increase of ball‐milling time, superior electrochemical reactivity is imparted owing to enlarged active area and increased catalytic ability. The obtained graphene nanosheets are sensitive for electrochemical oxidation of phenols (e.g., hydroquinone, p‐chlorophenol, and p‐nitrophenol), and thus qualified for the simultaneous sensing of trace level of phenols. The detection limits of simultaneous monitoring of hydroquinone, p‐chlorophenol, and p‐nitrophenol are as low as 0.017, 0.024, and 0.42 mg L−1, respectively. The proposed strategy thus opens up a new way to tune electrochemistry of graphene materials as well as to design their new applications.

Recently, graphene oxide (GO) super capacitors with ultra-high energy densities have received significant attention. In addition to their use in energy storage, GO capacitors might also have broad applications in renewable energy engineering, such as energy harvesting. Here, a flexible nanogenerator based on GO film is designed. A multilayer structure Al/PI/GO/PI/ITO is made on a flexible PET substrate. The GO nanogenerator could generate a peak voltage of 2 V with a current of 30 nA upon the repetitive application of a 15 N force with a frequency of 1 Hz. Moreover, the output voltage was increased to 34.4 V upon increasing the frequency of force application to 10 Hz. Compared with control samples, embedding GO film with a release structure into the device could significantly enhance the output voltage from 0.1 V to 2.0 V. The mechanism of our nanogenerator can be explained by an electrostatic effect, which is fundamentally different from that of previously reported piezoelectric and triboelectric generators. In this manuscript, we demonstrate flexible nanogenerators with large-area graphene based materials, which may open up new avenues of research with regard to applications in energy harvesting.