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The ultralow friction between atomic layers of hexagonal MoS , an important solid lubricant and additive of lubricating oil, is thought to be responsible for its excellent lubricating performances. However, the quantitative frictional properties between MoS atomic layers have not been directly tested in experiments due to the lack of conventional tools to characterize the frictional properties between 2D atomic layers. Herein, a versatile method for studying the frictional properties between atomic-layered materials is developed by combining the in situ scanning electron microscope technique with a Si nanowire force sensor, and the friction tests on the sliding between atomic-layered materials down to monolayers are reported. The friction tests on the sliding between incommensurate MoS monolayers give a friction coefficient of ≈10 in the regime of superlubricity. The results provide the first direct experimental evidence for superlubricity between MoS atomic layers and open a new route to investigate frictional properties of broad 2D materials.

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In van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, the interlayer electron–phonon coupling (EPC) provides one unique channel to nonlocally engineer these elementary particles. However, limited by the stringent occurrence conditions, the efficient engineering of interlayer EPC remains elusive. Here we report a multitier engineering of interlayer EPC in WS2/boron nitride (BN) heterostructures, including isotope enrichments of BN substrates, temperature, and high-pressure tuning. The hyperfine isotope dependence of Raman intensities was unambiguously revealed. In combination with theoretical calculations, we anticipate that WS2/BN supercells could induce Brillouin-zone-folded phonons that contribute to the interlayer coupling, leading to a complex nature of broad Raman peaks. We further demonstrate the significance of a previously unexplored parameter, the interlayer spacing. By varying the temperature and high pressure, we effectively manipulated the strengths of EPC with on/off capabilities, indicating critical thresholds of the layer–layer spacing for activating and strengthening interlayer EPC. Our findings provide new opportunities to engineer vdW heterostructures with controlled interlayer coupling.

Carrier lifetime is one of the most fundamental physical parameters that characterizes the average time of carrier recombination in any material. The control of carrier lifetime is the key to optimizing the device function by tuning the electro–optical conversion quantum yield, carrier diffusion length, carrier collection process, etc. Till now, the prevailing modulation methods are mainly by defect engineering and temperature control, which have limitations in the modulation direction and amplitude of the carrier lifetime. Here, we report an effective modulation on the ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited carriers in two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 monolayer by uniaxial tensile strain. The combination of optical ultrafast pump–probe technique and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy reveals that the carrier dynamics through Auger scattering, carrier–phonon scattering, and radiative recombination keep immune to the strain. But strikingly, the uniaxial tensile strain weakens the trapping of photoexcited carriers by defects and therefore prolongs the corresponding carrier lifetime up to 440% per percent applied strain. Our results open a new avenue to enlarge the carrier lifetime of 2D MoS2, which will facilitate its applications in high-efficient optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), with atomic thickness, strong spin–orbit coupling, enhanced light-matter interactions. and facile quantum control ability, have demonstrated great potential in the applications of nanoelectronics and optoelectronics. The realization of these high-performance applications strongly relies on the production of large-scale TMD films with high quality. Therefore, facile and accurate quality monitoring of TMDs is essential for their future applications. In this Review, we summarized the main defect types in TMD crystals obtained by different synthesis methods, and we discussed recent cutting-edge characterization techniques, including scanning transmission electron microscopy, etching or adsorption, optical spectroscopy, and field-effect transistors. Finally, we provide a short perspective on the future development of quality monitoring techniques for broad 2D materials.

Nonlinear optical frequency mixing, which describes new frequencies generation by exciting nonlinear materials with intense light field, has drawn vast interests in the field of photonic devices, material characterization, and optical imaging. Investigating and manipulating the nonlinear optical response of target materials lead us to reveal hidden physics and develop applications in optical devices. Here, we report the realization of facile manipulation of nonlinear optical responses in the example system of MoS2 monolayer by van der Waals interfacial engineering. We found that, the interfacing of monolayer graphene will weaken the exciton oscillator strength in MoS2 monolayer and correspondingly suppress the second harmonic generation (SHG) intensity to 30% under band-gap resonance excitation. While with off-resonance excitation, the SHG intensity would enhance up to 130%, which is conjectured to be induced by the interlayer excitation between MoS2 and graphene. Our investigation provides an effective method for controlling nonlinear optical properties of two-dimensional materials and therefore facilitates their future applications in optoelectronic and photonic devices.

Confined nanospaces provide a new platform to promote catalytic reactions. However, the mechanism of catalytic enhancement in the nanospace still requires insightful exploration due to the lack of direct visualization. Here, we report operando investigations on the etching and growth of graphene in a two-dimensional (2D) confined space between graphene and a Cu substrate. We observed that the graphene layer between the Cu and top graphene layer was surprisingly very active in etching (more than 10 times faster than the etching of the top graphene layer). More strikingly, at a relatively low temperature (∼530 °C), the etched carbon radicals dissociated from the bottom layer, in turn feeding the growth of the top graphene layer with a very high efficiency. Our findings reveal the in situ dynamics of the anomalous confined catalytic processes in 2D confined spaces and thus pave the way for the design of high-efficiency catalysts.