Two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as promising candidates for various optoelectronic applications based on their diverse electronic properties, ranging from insulating to superconducting. However, cooperative phenomena such as ferroelectricity in the 2D limit have not been well explored. Here, we report room-temperature ferroelectricity in 2D CuInP2S6 (CIPS) with a transition temperature of ∼320 K. Switchable polarization is observed in thin CIPS of ∼4 nm. To demonstrate the potential of this 2D ferroelectric material, we prepare a van der Waals (vdW) ferroelectric diode formed by CIPS/Si heterostructure, which shows good memory behaviour with on/off ratio of ∼100. The addition of ferroelectricity to the 2D family opens up possibilities for numerous novel applications, including sensors, actuators, non-volatile memory devices, and various vdW heterostructures based on 2D ferroelectricity.

Wearable or attachable health monitoring smart systems are considered to be the next generation of personal portable devices for remote medicine practices. Smart flexible sensing electronics are components crucial in endowing health monitoring systems with the capability of real-time tracking of physiological signals. These signals are closely associated with body conditions, such as heart rate, wrist pulse, body temperature, blood/intraocular pressure and blood/sweat bio-information. Monitoring such physiological signals provides a convenient and non-invasive way for disease diagnoses and health assessments. This Review summarizes the recent progress of flexible sensing electronics for their use in wearable/attachable health monitoring systems. Meanwhile, we present an overview of different materials and configurations for flexible sensors, including piezo-resistive, piezo-electrical, capacitive, and field effect transistor based devices, and analyze the working principles in monitoring physiological signals. In addition, the future perspectives of wearable healthcare systems and the technical demands on their commercialization are briefly discussed.

Single-layer single-crystalline SnSe nanosheet with four-atomic thickness of ~1.0 nm and lateral size of ~300 nm is presented here by using a one-pot synthetic method. It is found that 1,10-phenanthroline plays an important role in determining the morphology of the SnSe product as three-dimensional SnSe nanoflowers are obtained in the absence of 1,10-phenanthroline while keeping other reaction parameters the same. The evolution process study discloses that single-crystalline nanosheets are obtained from the coalescence of the SnSe nucleus in an orientated attachment mechanism. Band gap determination and optoelectronic test based on hybrid films of SnSe and poly(3-hexylthiophene) indicate the great potential of the ultrathin SnSe nanosheets in photodector and photovoltaic, and so forth.

We demonstrated a facile route for one-pot synthesis of visible light responsive nitrogen doped anatase TiO(2) sheets with dominant {001} facets from TiN. The synthesized anatase TiO(2) sheets show a strong and stable capability of generating photocatalysis active species of *OH radicals and hydrogen evolution from splitting water under visible light irradiation.

The discovery of monolayer superconductors bears consequences for both fundamental physics and device applications. Currently, the growth of superconducting monolayers can only occur under ultrahigh vacuum and on specific lattice-matched or dangling bond-free substrates, to minimize environment- and substrate-induced disorders/defects. Such severe growth requirements limit the exploration of novel two-dimensional superconductivity and related nanodevices. Here we demonstrate the experimental realization of superconductivity in a chemical vapour deposition grown monolayer material—NbSe2. Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscope imaging reveals the atomic structure of the intrinsic point defects and grain boundaries in monolayer NbSe2, and confirms the low defect concentration in our high-quality film, which is the key to two-dimensional superconductivity. By using monolayer chemical vapour deposited graphene as a protective capping layer, thickness-dependent superconducting properties are observed in as-grown NbSe2 with a transition temperature increasing from 1.0 K in monolayer to 4.56 K in 10-layer.

Constructing photocatalytically favorable surface structure in synthesizing photocatalysts plays an important role in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of semiconductor photocatalysts. In this report, oxygen-deficient anatase TiO2 sheets with dominant {001} facets were synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal route with solid metallic titanium diboride as precursor. In contrast to anatase TiO2 sheets with dominant {001} facets free of oxygen deficiency and surface fluorine, anatase TiO2 sheets with oxygen deficiency and surface fluorine are subject to obvious surface reconstruction as evidenced by two new Raman-active modes at 155 and 171 cm−1 and the weakened B1g mode at 397 cm−1. Further analysis based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of Pt 4f and F 1s provided a clear evidence for the greatly strengthened interaction between Pt-loaded and TiO2 matrix as a result of a special electron-transfer process on the reconstructed surface structure of TiO2 with both oxygen deficiency and fluorine. Importantly, the reconstructed surface structure as well as the strengthened interaction between Pt-loaded and TiO2 matrix can substantially enhance the hydrogen evolution rate from photocatalytic water splitting reactions.

Coupled ZnO/CdS heterostructures based on the Z-scheme mechanism are demonstrated to be highly active photocatalysts for H(2) evolution under simulated solar light irradiation due to the greatly prolonged lifetime of photoexcited carriers.

Hexagonal boron nitride is a wide-band-gap van der Waals material that has recently emerged as a promising platform for quantum photonics experiments. In this work, we study the formation and localization of narrowband quantum emitters in large flakes (up to tens of micrometers wide) of hexagonal boron nitride. The emitters can be activated in as-grown hexagonal boron nitride by electron irradiation or high-temperature annealing, and the emitter formation probability can be increased by ion implantation or focused laser irradiation of the as-grown material. Interestingly, we show that the emitters are always localized at the edges of the flakes, unlike most luminescent point defects in three-dimensional materials. Our results constitute an important step on the roadmap of deploying hexagonal boron nitride in nanophotonics applications.