Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties in the two-dimensional (2D) limit are highly desired for nanoelectronic, electromechanical, and optoelectronic applications. Here we report the first experimental evidence of out-of-plane piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity in van der Waals layered α-InSe nanoflakes. The noncentrosymmetric R3m symmetry of the α-InSe samples is confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy, second-harmonic generation, and Raman spectroscopy measurements. Domains with opposite polarizations are visualized by piezo-response force microscopy. Single-point poling experiments suggest that the polarization is potentially switchable for α-InSe nanoflakes with thicknesses down to ∼10 nm. The piezotronic effect is demonstrated in two-terminal devices, where the Schottky barrier can be modulated by the strain-induced piezopotential. Our work on polar α-InSe, one of the model 2D piezoelectrics and ferroelectrics with simple crystal structures, shows its great potential in electronic and photonic applications.

2Graphene and related two-dimensional materials are promising candidates for atomically thin, flexible, and transparent optoelectronics 1,2 . In particular, the strong light-matter interaction in graphene 3 has allowed for the development of state-of-the-art photodetectors 4,5 , optical modulators 6 , and plasmonic devices 7 .In addition, electrically biased graphene on SiO 2 substrates can be used as a low-efficiency emitter in the mid-infrared range 8,9 . However, emission in the visible range has remained elusive. Here we report the observation of bright visible-light emission from electrically biased suspended graphenes. In these devices, heat transport is greatly minimised 10 ; thus hot electrons (~ 2800 K) become spatially localised at the centre of graphene layer, resulting in a 1000-fold enhancement in the thermal radiation efficiency 8,9 . Moreover, strong optical interference between the suspended graphene and substrate can be utilized to tune the emission spectrum. We also demonstrate the scalability of this For the realisation of graphene-based bright and broadband light-emitters, a radiative electron-hole recombination process in gapless graphene is not efficient because of the rapid energy relaxation that occurs through electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions [11][12][13] .Alternatively, graphene's superior strength 14 and high-temperature stability may enable efficient thermal light emission. However, the thermal radiation from electrically biased graphene supported on a substrate 8,9,[15][16][17] has been found to be limited to the infrared range and 3 to be inefficient as an extremely small fraction of the applied energy (~ 10 -6 ) 8,9 is converted into light radiation. Such limitations are the direct result of heat dissipation through the underlying substrate 18 and significant hot electron relaxation from dominant extrinsic scattering effects such as charged impurities 19 and surface polar optical phonon interaction 20 , limiting the maximum operating temperatures.On the other hand, a freely suspended graphene is mostly immune to such undesirable vertical heat dissipation 10 and extrinsic scattering effects 21,22 , promising much more efficient and brighter radiation in the infrared-to-visible range. Fortuitously, due to the strong Umklapp phonon-phonon scattering 23 , we find that the thermal conductivity of graphene at high lattice temperatures (1800 ± 300 K) is greatly reduced (~ 65 Wm -1 K -1 ), which additionally suppresses lateral heat dissipation; therefore, hot electrons (~ 2800 K) become spatially localised at the centre of the suspended graphene under modest electric fields (~ 0.4 V/µm), greatly increasing the efficiency and brightness of the light emission. The bright visible thermally emitted light interacts with the reflected light from the separated substrate surface, allowing interference effects that can be utilized to tune the wavelength of the emitted light.We fabricate the freely suspended graphene devices with mechanically exfoliated graphene flakes, and for d...

β-Sialon:Eu2+ has been reported to be the most promising narrow-band green phosphor for wide color gamut LCD backlights, but the coexistence of the Eu3+ luminescence killer with the Eu2+ luminescence center limits its luminescence performance to a great extent. In this study, we propose a direct reduction strategy to successfully realize the reduction of Eu3+ to Eu2+ and, finally, increase the effective concentration of Eu2+ in the crystal lattice and greatly minimize the amount of Eu3+ on the particle surface. As a result, the luminescence of treated β-sialon:Eu2+ is enhanced by 2.3 times, and the internal quantum efficiency significantly increases from 52.2 to 96.5%. The mechanisms for such large enhancements in luminescence are clarified by investigating the microstructure, luminescence spectra, valence state, concentration, and distribution of Eu using a variety of chemical analyses. We find that the low efficiency is ascribed to the coexistence of the Eu3+ luminescence killer with the Eu2+ luminescence center. The white LED backlight using the treated β-sialon:Eu2+ demonstrates a high luminous efficacy of 136 lm W–1 (22.5% up) and a wide color gamut (∼96% National Television System Committee standard (NTSC)), which thus promises high brightness and energy saving. We believe that the strategy proposed in this work would also work for other luminescent materials containing mixed valence of dopants.

Superhigh brightness, reliability, and modularization are three key features of state-of-the-art high-brightness solid state lighting, such as high-power white light-emitting diodes (white LEDs) and white laser diodes (white LDs). However, these features are inevitably limited by the organic resin packing material, as a crucial component of the white lighting device, because of its unstable property at high temperature and low thermal conductivity. Here, we report a robust light convertor that can simultaneously play key roles as a phosphor and an alternative encapsulating material via phosphor-in-glass (PiG) engineering. We employed a combination of powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), EDS mapping, confocal laser scanning microscope, cathodoluminescence mapping, in conjunction with micro-PL system with a point-by-point scanning mode to study the detailed structure of PiG samples. This Y3Al5O12:Ce3+-based PiG exhibits a high external quantum efficiency of ∼60%, a high thermal conductivity of ∼0.59 W/mK, exceptional thermal stability, and excellent moisture resistance. By combining the as-synthesized PiG with high-power blue chip-on-board, a high luminous efficacy (92 lm/W) modular white LEDs with a luminous flux up to 1076 lm and a high color rendering modular warm white LEDs (Ra = 90.3 and CCT = 3585 K) are achieved. Moreover, a modular white LDs with a higher luminous efficacy (110 lm/W) is also achieved through blue LDs pumping. The results demonstrate that this easy-fabrication, low-cost, and long-term reliable high-brightness modular white LEDs or white LDs is expected to be a promising candidate for next-generation illumination.

Polymer solar cells are one of the promising energy sources because of the easy solution-processable production with large area at a low cost without toxicity. Among the polymer materials, a donor-acceptor conjugated copolymer PTB7 has been extensively studied because of the typical high-performance polymer solar cells. Here, we show operando direct observation of charge accumulation in PTB7:PCBM blend solar cells from a microscopic viewpoint using electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The accumulation of ambipolar charges in the PTB7-based cells is directly observed for the first time, which shows a clear correlation with the performance deterioration during device operation. The sites of the ambipolar charge accumulation are elucidated at the molecular level, whose information would be useful for improving the cell durability in addition to the performance improvement.

A low band-gap polymer, PTB7-Th, is one of the typical p-type semiconductors among the next-generation solar-cell materials that have achieved power conversion efficiencies of over 10%. However, the internal deterioration mechanism of high-efficiency polymer solar cells such as PTB7-Th-based cells is still an open issue and has been extensively studied. Here, we report a study with operando electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy for PTB7-Th polymer solar cells with an n-type semiconductor PC71BM to clarify the internal deterioration mechanism at a molecular level. We have directly observed ambipolar charge accumulation with a face-on molecular orientation in the cells under simulated solar irradiation using an operando light-induced ESR technique. Moreover, we have found a clear correlation between the charge accumulation and performance deterioration of the cells. The charge accumulation sites have been clarified by the ESR analysis and density functional theory calculation. The prevention of such charge accumulation on the basis of the present finding would be important for the commercialization of high-efficiency polymer solar cells.

The degradation of (Sr,Ca)AlSiN3:Eu2+ induced by the water steam attack results in remarkable changes in luminescence, microstructure and phase purity.

Translucent CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ ceramic with a unique microstructure shows enhanced thermal stability and high quantum efficiency.