Abstract: Creating materials with ultimate control over their physical properties is vital for a wide range of applications. From a traditional materials design perspective, this task often requires precise control over the atomic composition and structure. However, owing to their mechanical properties, low-dimensional layered materials can actually withstand a significant amount of strain and thus sustain elastic deformations before fracture. This, in return, presents a unique technique for tuning their physical properties by strain engineering. Here, we find that local strain induced on ReSe2, a new member of the transition metal dichalcogenides family, greatly changes its magnetic, optical, and electrical properties. Local strain induced by generation of wrinkle (1) modulates the optical gap as evidenced by red-shifted photoluminescence peak, (2) enhances light emission, (3) induces magnetism, and (4) modulates the electrical properties. The results not only allow us to create materials with vastly different properties at the nanoscale, but also enable a wide range of applications based on 2D materials, including strain sensors, stretchable electrodes, flexible field-effect transistors, artificial-muscle actuators, solar cells, and other spintronic, electromechanical, piezoelectric, photonic devices.

Abstract: Zirconium trisulphide (ZrS3), a member of the layered transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) family, has been studied by angle-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy (ARPLS). The synthesized ZrS3 layers possess a pseudo one-dimensional nature where each layer consists of ZrS3 chains extending along the b-lattice direction. Our results show that the optical properties of few-layered ZrS3 are highly anisotropic as evidenced by large PL intensity variation with the polarization direction. Light is efficiently absorbed when the E-field is polarized along the chain (b-axis), but the field is greatly attenuated and absorption is reduced when it is polarized vertical to the 1D-like chains as the wavelength of the exciting light is much longer than the width of each 1D chain. The observed PL variation with polarization is similar to that of conventional 1D materials, i.e., nanowires, and nanotubes, except for the fact that here the 1D chains interact with each other giving rise to a unique linear dichroism response that falls between the 2D (planar) and 1D (chain) limit. These results not only mark the very first demonstration of PL polarization anisotropy in 2D systems, but also provide novel insight into how the interaction between adjacent 1D-like chains and the 2D nature of each layer influences the overall optical anisotropy of pseudo-1D materials. Results are anticipated to have an impact on optical technologies such as polarized detectors, near-field imaging, communication systems, and bio-applications relying on the generation and detection of polarized light.

Abstract: Quasi-two-dimensional gallium chalcogenide heterostructures are created by transferring exfoliated few-layer GaSe onto bulk GaTe sheets. Luminescence spectroscopy measurements reveal that the light emission from underlying GaTe layers drastically increases on heterojunction regions where GaSe layers make contact with the GaTe. Density functional theory (DFT) and band offset calculations show that conduction band minimum (CBM) (valance band maximum (VBM)) values of GaSe are higher (lower) in energy compared to GaTe, forming type-I band alignment at the interface. Consequently, GaSe layers provide photo-excited electrons and holes to GaTe sheets through relatively large built-in potential at the interface, increasing overall exciton population and light emission from GaTe. Observed results are not specific to the GaSe/GaTe system but observed on GaS/GaSe heterolayers with type-I band alignment. Observed experimental findings and theoretical studies provide unique insights into interface effects across dissimilar gallium chalcogenides and offer new ways to boost optical performance by simple epitaxial coating.

Abstract: Synthesis of 1D-polymer nanowires by a self-assembly method using marginal solvents is an attractive technique. While the formation mechanism is poorly understood, this method is essential in order to control the growth of nanowires. Here we visualized the time-dependent assembly of poly (3-hexyl-thiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) nanowires by atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. The assembly of P3HT nanowires was carried out at room temperature by mixing cyclohexanone (CHN), as a poor solvent, with polymer solution in 1,2-dichlorobenzene (DCB). Both pi-pi stacking and planarization, obtained at the mix volume ratio of P3HT (in DCB):CHN (10:7), were considered during the investigation. We find that the length of nanowires was determined by the ordering of polymers in the polymer repetition direction. Additionally, our density functional theory calculations revealed that the presence of DCB and CHN molecules that stabilize the structural distortions due to tail group of polymers was essential for the core-wire formation.

Abstract: Transition metal trichalcogenides form a class of layered materials with strong in-plane anisotropy. For example, titanium trisulfide (TiS3) whiskers are made out of weakly interacting TiS3 layers, where each layer is made of weakly interacting quasi-one-dimensional chains extending along the b axis. Here we establish the unusual vibrational properties of TiS3 both experimentally and theoretically. Unlike other two-dimensional systems, the Raman active peaks of TiS3 have only out-of-plane vibrational modes, and interestingly some of these vibrations involve unique rigid-chain vibrations and S-S molecular oscillations. High-pressure Raman studies further reveal that the A(g)(S-S) S-S molecular mode has an unconventional negative pressure dependence, whereas other peaks stiffen as anticipated. Various vibrational modes are doubly degenerate at ambient pressure, but the degeneracy is lifted at high pressures. These results establish the unusual vibrational properties of TiS3 with strong in-plane anisotropy, and may have relevance to understanding of vibrational properties in other anisotropic two-dimensional material systems.

Abstract: Ultrathin two-dimensional Janus-type platinum dichalcogenide crystals formed by two different atoms at opposite surfaces are investigated by performing state-of-the-art density functional theory calculations. First, it is shown that single-layer PtX2 structures (where X = S, Se, or Te) crystallize into the dynamically stable IT phase and are indirect band gap semiconductors. It is also found that the substitutional chalcogen doping in all PtX2 structures is favorable via replacement of surface atoms with a smaller chalcogen atom, and such a process leads to the formation of Janus-type platinum dichalcogenides (XPtY, where X and Y stand for S, Se, or Te) which are novel single-layer crystals. While all Janus structures are indirect band gap semiconductors as their binary analogues, their Raman spectra show distinctive features that stem from the broken out-of-plane symmetry. In addition, it is revealed that the construction of Janus crystals enhances the piezoelectric constants of PtX2 crystals significantly both in the in plane and in the out-of-plane directions. Moreover, it is shown that vertically stacked van der Waals heterostructures of binary and ternary (Janus) platinum dichalcogenides offer a wide range of electronic features by forming bilayer heterojunctions of type-I, type-II, and type-III, respectively. Our findings reveal that Janus-type ultrathin platinum dichalcogenide crystals are quite promising materials for optoelectronic device applications.

Abstract: We present a first-principles investigation on the stability, electronic structure, and mechanical response of ultrathin heterostructures composed of single layers of InSe and SiGe. First, by performing total energy optimization and phonon calculations, we show that single layers of InSe and SiGe can form dynamically stable heterostructures in 12 different stacking types. Valence and conduction band edges of the heterobilayers form a type-I heterojunction having a tiny band gap ranging between 0.09 and 0.48 eV. Calculations on elastic-stiffness tensor reveal that two mechanically soft single layers form a heterostructure which is stiffer than the constituent layers because of relatively strong interlayer interaction. Moreover, phonon analysis shows that the bilayer heterostructure has highly Raman active modes at 205.3 and 43.7 cm(-1), stemming from the out-of-plane interlayer mode and layer breathing mode, respectively. Our results show that, as a stable type-I heterojunction, ultrathin heterobilayer of InSe/SiGe holds promise for nanoscale device applications.