Single-layer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) receive significant attention due to their intriguing physical properties for both fundamental research and potential applications in electronics, optoelectronics, spintronics, catalysis, and so on. Here, we demonstrate the epitaxial growth of high-quality single-crystal, monolayer platinum diselenide (PtSe2), a new member of the layered TMDs family, by a single step of direct selenization of a Pt(111) substrate. A combination of atomic-resolution experimental characterizations and first-principle theoretic calculations reveals the atomic structure of the monolayer PtSe2/Pt(111). Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements confirm for the first time the semiconducting electronic structure of monolayer PtSe2 (in contrast to its semimetallic bulk counterpart). The photocatalytic activity of monolayer PtSe2 film is evaluated by a methylene-blue photodegradation experiment, demonstrating its practical application as a promising photocatalyst. Moreover, circular polarization calculations predict that monolayer PtSe2 has also potential applications in valleytronics.

Atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS), a direct-band-gap semiconductor, is promising for applications in electronics and optoelectronics, but the scalable synthesis of highly crystalline film remains challenging. Here we report the successful epitaxial growth of a continuous, uniform, highly crystalline monolayer MoS film on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) by molecular beam epitaxy. Atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy studies reveal that MoS grown on h-BN primarily consists of two types of nucleation grains (0° aligned and 60° antialigned domains). By adopting a high growth temperature and ultralow precursor flux, the formation of 60° antialigned grains is largely suppressed. The resulting perfectly aligned grains merge seamlessly into a highly crystalline film. Large-scale monolayer MoS film can be grown on a 2 in. h-BN/sapphire wafer, for which surface morphology and Raman mapping confirm good spatial uniformity. Our study represents a significant step in the scalable synthesis of highly crystalline MoS films on atomically flat surfaces and paves the way to large-scale applications.

For alkali-metal-ion batteries, probing the dynamic processes of ion transport in electrodes is critical to gain insights into understanding how the electrode functions and thus how we can improve it. Here, by using in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, we probe the dynamics of Na transport in MoS2 nanostructures in real-time and compare the intercalation kinetics with previous lithium insertion. We find that Na intercalation follows the two-phase reaction mechanism, that is, trigonal prismatic 2H-MoS2 → octahedral 1T-NaMoS2, and the phase boundary is ∼2 nm thick. The velocity of the phase boundary at <10 nm/s is 1 order smaller than that of lithium diffusion, suggesting sluggish kinetics for sodium intercalation. The newly formed 1T-NaMoS2 contains a high density of defects and series superstructure domains with typical sizes of ∼3-5 nm. Our results provide valuable insights into finding suitable Na electrode materials and understanding the properties of transition metal dichalcogenide MoS2.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been studied extensively as monolayers, vertical or lateral heterostructures. To achieve functionalization, monolayers are often patterned using soft lithography and selectively decorated with molecules. Here we demonstrate the growth of a family of 2D materials that are intrinsically patterned. We demonstrate that a monolayer of PtSe can be grown on a Pt substrate in the form of a triangular pattern of alternating 1T and 1H phases. Moreover, we show that, in a monolayer of CuSe grown on a Cu substrate, strain relaxation leads to periodic patterns of triangular nanopores with uniform size. Adsorption of different species at preferred pattern sites is also achieved, demonstrating that these materials can serve as templates for selective self-assembly of molecules or nanoclusters, as well as for the functionalization of the same substrate with two different species.

We present the results on the radius of the neutron distribution in 40 Ar, on the low-energy value of the weak mixing angle, and on the electromagnetic properties of neutrinos obtained from the analysis of the coherent neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering data in argon recently published by the COHERENT Collaboration, taking into account proper radiative corrections. We present also the results of the combined analysis of the COHERENT argon and cesium-iodide data for the determination of the low-energy value of the weak mixing angle and the electromagnetic properties of neutrinos. In particular, the COHERENT argon data allow us to improve significantly the only existing laboratory bounds on the electric charge q μμ of the muon neutrino and on the transition electric charge q μτ .

The development of methods for controlling the motion and arrangement of molecules adsorbed on a metal surface would provide a powerful tool for the design of molecular electronic devices. Recently, metal phthalocyanines (MPc) have been extensively considered for use in such devices. Here we show that applied electric fields can be used to turn off the diffusivity of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) on Au(111) at fixed temperature, demonstrating a practical and direct method for controlling and potentially patterning FePc layers. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we show that the diffusivity of FePc on Au(111) is a strong function of temperature and that applied electric fields can be used to retard or enhance molecular diffusion at fixed temperature. Using spin-dependent density-functional calculations, we then explore the origin of this effect, showing that applied fields modify both the molecule-surface binding energies and the molecular diffusion barriers through an interaction with the dipolar Fe-Au adsorption bond. On the basis of these results FePc on Au(111) is a promising candidate system for the development of adaptive molecular device structures.

Metallic transition-metal chalcogenide (TMC) nanowires are an important building block for 2D electronics that may be fabricated within semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) monolayers. Tuning the geometric structure and electronic properties of such nanowires is a promising way to pattern diverse functional channels for wiring multiple units inside a 2D electronic circuit. However, few experimental investigations have been reported exploring the structural and compositional tunability of these nanowires, due to difficulties in manipulating the structure and chemical composition of an individual nanowire. Here, using a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and density functional theory (DFT), we report that TMC nanowires have substantial intrinsic structural flexibility and their chemical composition can be manipulated. Rotational twisting, axial kinking, and branching of an individual nanowire is consistently observed and junctions with well-ordered atomic structures can be fabricated. We also show that the density of states of these nanowires can be finely tuned via alloying either the chalcogen or the transition-metal elements, where the chalcogen alloying can be further controlled by the acceleration voltage of the electron beam during the fabrication. The results open up the possibility of tailoring the properties of TMC nanowires, paving the way for robust ultrasmall interconnects in TMDC-based 2D flexible nanoelectronics.

In the rechargeable lithium ion batteries, the rate capability and energy efficiency are largely governed by the lithium ion transport dynamics and phase transition pathways in electrodes. Real-time and atomic-scale tracking of fully reversible lithium insertion and extraction processes in electrodes, which would ultimately lead to mechanistic understanding of how the electrodes function and why they fail, is highly desirable but very challenging. Here, we track lithium insertion and extraction in the van der Waals interactions dominated SnS2 by in situ high-resolution TEM method. We find that the lithium insertion occurs via a fast two-phase reaction to form expanded and defective LiSnS2, while the lithium extraction initially involves heterogeneous nucleation of intermediate superstructure Li0.5SnS2 domains with a 1-4 nm size. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the Li0.5SnS2 is kinetically favored and structurally stable. The asymmetric reaction pathways may supply enlightening insights into the mechanistic understanding of the underlying electrochemistry in the layered electrode materials and also suggest possible alternatives to the accepted explanation of the origins of voltage hysteresis in the intercalation electrode materials.