Here we report a new type of self-powered, visible-light photodetector fabricated from thermally reduced rGO-ZnO hybrid nanostructure. The photocurrent generation of the photodetectors under zero-bias enables hybrid rGO-ZnO devices to work like photovoltaic cells, which could power themselves without electrical power input. The thermal treatment at elevated temperature not only reduces graphene oxide (GO) into reduced graphene oxide (rGO), but also dopes the ZnO nanoparticles with carbon atoms, enabling their visible-light photoresponse capability. The pronounced and fast photocurrent generation was attributed to the efficient charge transfer between the rGO and carbon-doped ZnO nanoparticles, which were in intimate contact. The efficient charge transfer of the rGO-ZnO hybrid nanostructures also indicates that there could be applications in other light energy harvesting devices, including solar cells, sensors and visible-light photocatalysis.

Noncontact electronic skin (e-skin), which possesses superior long-range and high-spatial-resolution sensory properties, is becoming indispensable in fulfilling the emulation of human sensation via prosthetics. Here, we present an advanced design and fabrication of all-graphene-based highly flexible noncontact e-skins by virtue of femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW). The photoreduced graphene oxide patterns function as the conductive electrodes, whereas the pristine graphene oxide thin film serves as the sensing layer. The as-fabricated e-skins exhibit high sensitivity, fast response-recovery behavior, good long-term stability, and excellent mechanical robustness. In-depth analysis reveals that the sensing mechanism is attributed to proton and ionic conductivity in the low and high humidity conditions, respectively. By taking the merits of the FsLDW, a 4 × 4 sensing matrix is facilely integrated in a single-step, eco-friendly, and green process. The light-weight and in-plane matrix shows high-spatial-resolution sensing capabilities over a long detection range in a noncontact mode. This study will open up an avenue to innovations in the noncontact e-skins and hold a promise for applications in wearable human-machine interfaces, robotics, and bioelectronics.

The rapid development of wearable electronics needs flexible conductive materials that have stable electrical properties, good mechanical reliability, and broad environmental tolerance. Herein, ultralow‐density all‐carbon conductors that show excellent elasticity and high electrical stability when subjected to bending, stretching, and compression at high strains, which are superior to previously reported elastic conductors, are demonstrated. These all‐carbon conductors are fabricated from carbon nanotube forms, with their nanotube joints being selectively welded by amorphous carbon. The joint‐welded foams have a robust 3D nanotube network with fixed nodes and mobile nanotube segments, and thus have excellent electrical and mechanical stabilities. They can readily scale up, presenting a new type of nonmetal elastic conductor for many possible applications.

TiO2 is a promising photocatalytic material for hydrogen generation. However, the fast recombination of electron–holes restricts the photocatalytic performance of TiO2. Herein, this study demonstrates a 2D‐layered carbon/TiO2 (C/TiO2) architecture via CO2 oxidation of 2D‐Ti3C2, in which the 2D carbon layers provide electron transport channels and improve the hole–electron separation efficiency. Compared to Ti3C2 support, the thickness of derived carbon supports is significantly reduced, which enhances the light intensity arriving at the surface of TiO2. The oxidation parameters are investigated systematically. It is found that high temperature and high CO2 gas flux lead to the formation of crystal TiO2 and the oxidation of carbon layers. The bandgap of 2D‐layered C/TiO2 samples is ranged from 2.83 to 2.89 eV. The 2D‐layered C/TiO2 delivers enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with pure TiO2 catalysts. The optimal photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 2D‐layered C/TiO2 is up to 24.04 µmol h−1, which is about 89 times higher than that of pure TiO2. This research broadens the applications of C/TiO2 hybrids and provides new approach to synthesize novel 2D‐layered materials for photocatalytic applications.

The charge density wave (CDW) in twodimensional (2D) materials is attracting substantial interest because of its magnificent many-body collective phenomena. Various CDW phases have been observed in several 2D materials before they reach the phase of superconductivity. However, to date, the atomically thin CDW materials were mainly fabricated by mechanically exfoliating from their bulk counterparts, which leads to low production yield and small sample sizes. Here, we report the controlled synthesis of atomically thin 1T-TaS 2 , a typical CDW material, by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The high quality of as-grown 1T-TaS 2 has been confirmed by complementary characterization technologies. Moreover, the thickness-dependent CDW phase transitions have been revealed in these ultrathin flakes by temperature-dependent Raman spectra. This work opens up a new window for the large-scale synthesis of ultrathin CDW materials and sheds light on the fabrication of next-generation electronic devices.