2D Semiconductor Nanomaterials and Heterostructures: Controlled Synthesis and Functional Applications

Photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics and antimicrobial and anticancer activities of two-dimensional ZnO nanosheets

Active pharmaceutical ingredients have emerged as an environmentally undesirable element because of their widespread exploitation and consequent pollution, which has deleterious effects on living things. In the pursuit of sustainable environmental remediation, biomedical applications, and energy production, there has been a significant focus on two-dimensional materials (2D materials) owing to their unique electrical, optical, and structural properties. Herein, we have synthesized 2D zinc oxide nanosheets (ZnO NSs) using a facile and practicable hydrothermal method and characterized them thoroughly using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The 2D nanosheets are used as an efficient photocatalyst for antibiotic (herein, end-user ciprofloxacin (CIP) was used as a model antibiotic) degradation under sunlight. It is observed that ZnO NSs photodegrade ~ 90% of CIP within two hours of sunlight illumination. The molecular mechanism of CIP degradation is proposed based on ex-situ IR analysis. Moreover, the 2D ZNO NSs are used as an antimicrobial agent and exhibit antibacterial qualities against a range of bacterial species, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and MIC of the bacteria are found to be 5 μg/l and 10 μg/l, respectively. Despite having the biocompatible nature of ZnO, as-synthesized nanosheets have also shown cytotoxicity against two types of cancer cells, i.e. A549 and A375. Thus, ZnO nanosheets showed a nontoxic nature, which can be exploited as promising alternatives in different biomedical applications.

Systematic DFT Modeling van der Waals Heterostructures from a Complete Configurational Basis Applied to γ-PC/WS2

Periodic boundary conditions in density functional theory (DFT)-based modeling of bilayer van der Waals heterostructures introduce an artificial lock to a metastable configuration. Depending on the initial supercell, geometric optimization may reach local energy minima at a fixed twist-angle in a restricted strain-space. In this work, an algorithm was introduced for generating a complete scope of ways to combine two monolayer unit cells into a common supercell. In its application to γ-PC/WS2, 18,123 bilayer supercells were derived, for which the constituting monolayers possessed isotropic strains, anisotropic strains, or intralayer shear strains. Based on analysis, 45 isotropically strained configurations were carefully chosen for optimization by DFT. Geometric and energetic features and band structures were revealed and compared, following the variations at different strains and twist-angles. As such, this case study brought to resolution the impacts of supercell construction on DFT's outcomes and the merits of in-depth screening of the different options. Repetitions and extensions to the demonstrated approach may be applied to characterize van der Waals heterostructures and derivatives in the future.

Sonochemistry of Liquid-Metal Galinstan toward the Synthesis of Two-Dimensional and Multilayered Gallium-Based Metal-Oxide Photonic Semiconductors

The scientific field of two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures has witnessed tremendous development during the last decade. To date, different synthesis approaches have been developed; therefore, various exceptional properties of this family of advanced materials have been discovered. It has recently been found that the natural surface oxide films of room-temperature liquid metals is an emerging platform for the synthesis of novel types of 2D nanostructures with numerous functional applications. However, most of the developed synthesis techniques for these materials are based on the direct mechanical exfoliation of 2D materials as research targets. This paper reports a facile and functional sonochemical-assisted approach for the synthesis of 2D hybrid and complex multilayered nanostructures with tunable characteristics. In this method, the intense interaction of acoustic waves with microfluidic gallium-based room-temperature liquid galinstan alloy provides the activation energy for synthesis of hybrid 2D nanostructures. The microstructural characterizations reveal the impact of sonochemical synthesis parameters, including the processing time and composition of the ionic synthesis environment, on the growth of Ga_xO_y/Se 2D hybrid structures and InGa_xO_y/Se multilayered crystalline structures with tunable photonic characteristics. This technique shows promising potential for synthesis of various types of 2D and layered semiconductor nanostructures with tunable photonic characteristics.

Plasmonic Nanodomains Decorated on Two-Dimensional Oxide Semiconductors for Photonic-Assisted CO2 Conversion

Plasmonic nanostructures ensure the reception and harvesting of visible lights for novel photonic applications. In this area, plasmonic crystalline nanodomains decorated on the surface of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials represent a new class of hybrid nanostructures. These plasmonic nanodomains activate supplementary mechanisms at material heterointerfaces, enabling the transfer of photogenerated charge carriers from plasmonic antennae into adjacent 2D semiconductors and therefore activate a wide range of visible-light assisted applications. Here, the controlled growth of crystalline plasmonic nanodomains on 2D Ga₂O₃ nanosheets was achieved by sonochemical-assisted synthesis. In this technique, Ag and Se nanodomains grew on 2D surface oxide films of gallium-based alloy. The multiple contribution of plasmonic nanodomains enabled the visible-light-assisted hot-electron generation at 2D plasmonic hybrid interfaces, and therefore considerably altered the photonic properties of the 2D Ga₂O₃ nanosheets. Specifically, the multiple contribution of semiconductor-plasmonic hybrid 2D heterointerfaces enabled efficient CO₂ conversion through combined photocatalysis and triboelectric-activated catalysis. The solar-powered acoustic-activated conversion approach of the present study enabled us to achieve the CO₂ conversion efficiency of more than 94% in the reaction chambers containing 2D Ga₂O₃-Ag nanosheets.

Functional Two-Dimensional Materials for Bioelectronic Neural Interfacing

Realizing the neurological information processing by analyzing the complex data transferring behavior of populations and individual neurons is one of the fast-growing fields of neuroscience and bioelectronic technologies. This field is anticipated to cover a wide range of advanced applications, including neural dynamic monitoring, understanding the neurological disorders, human brain-machine communications and even ambitious mind-controlled prosthetic implant systems. To fulfill the requirements of high spatial and temporal resolution recording of neural activities, electrical, optical and biosensing technologies are combined to develop multifunctional bioelectronic and neuro-signal probes. Advanced two-dimensional (2D) layered materials such as graphene, graphene oxide, transition metal dichalcogenides and MXenes with their atomic-layer thickness and multifunctional capabilities show bio-stimulation and multiple sensing properties. These characteristics are beneficial factors for development of ultrathin-film electrodes for flexible neural interfacing with minimum invasive chronic interfaces to the brain cells and cortex. The combination of incredible properties of 2D nanostructure places them in a unique position, as the main materials of choice, for multifunctional reception of neural activities. The current review highlights the recent achievements in 2D-based bioelectronic systems for monitoring of biophysiological indicators and biosignals at neural interfaces.

In Situ Measurements of Strain Evolution in Graphene/Boron Nitride Heterostructures Using a Non-Destructive Raman Spectroscopy Approach

The mechanical properties of engineered van der Waals (vdW) 2D materials and heterostructures are critically important for their implementation into practical applications. Using a non-destructive Raman spectroscopy approach, this study investigates the strain evolution of single-layer graphene (SLGr) and few-layered boron nitride/graphene (FLBN/SLGr) heterostructures. The prepared 2D materials are synthesized via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and then transferred onto flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates for subsequent strain measurements. For this study, a custom-built mechanical device-jig is designed and manufactured in-house to be used as an insert for the 3D piezoelectric stage of the Raman system. In situ investigation of the effects of applied strain in graphene detectable via Raman spectral data in characteristic bonds within SLGr and FLBN/SLGr heterostructures is carried out. The in situ strain evolution of the FLBN/SLGr heterostructures is obtained in the range of (0-0.5%) strain. It is found that, under the same strain, SLG exhibits a higher Raman shift in the 2D band as compared with FLBN/SLGr heterostructures. This research leads to a better understanding of strain dissipation in vertical 2D heterostacks, which could help improve the design and engineering of custom interfaces and, subsequently, control lattice structure and electronic properties. Moreover, this study can provide a new systematic approach for precise in situ strain assessment and measurements of other CVD-grown 2D materials and their heterostructures on a large scale for manufacturing a variety of future micro- and nano-scale devices on flexible substrates.

Hybrid Surface Nanostructures Using Chemical Vapor Deposition and Colloidal Self-Assembled Patterns for Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Culture—A Preliminary Study

Surface coatings are critical in biomaterials and biomedical devices. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a well-known technology for the generation of thin films on a surface. However, the granular structures produced using CVD are rare. Recently, we used PPX-C, an excellent insulating material, for granular structure coating using CVD. Colloidal self-assembly is also a well-established method to generate granular structures named colloidal self-assembled patterns (cSAPs). In this study, we combined these two technologies to generate hierarchical granular structures and tested the biophysical effect of these hybrid surfaces on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). Two CVD-derived granular structures were made using water or glycerin droplets (i.e., CVD or GlyCVD surfaces). Water drops generate porous particles, while glycerin drops generate core–shell particles on the surface. These particles were dispersed randomly on the surface with sizes ranging from 1 to 20 μm. These CVD surfaces were hydrophobic (WCA ~ 80–110 degrees). On the other hand, a binary colloidal crystal (BCC), one type of cSAPs, composed of 5 μm Si and 400 nm carboxylated polystyrene (PSC) particles, had a close-packed structure and a hydrophilic surface (WCA ~ 45 degrees). The hybrid surfaces (i.e., CVD-BCC and GlyCVD-BCC) were smooth (Ra ~ 1.1–1.5 μm) and hydrophilic (WCA ~ 50 degrees), indicating a large surface coverage of BCC dominating the surface property. The hybrid surfaces were expected to be slightly negatively charged due to naturally charged CVD particles and negatively charged BCC particles. Cell adhesion was reduced on the hybrid surfaces, leading to an aggregated cell morphology, without reducing cell activity, compared to the flat control after 5 days. qPCR analysis showed that gene expression of type II collagen (COL2) was highly expressed on the GlyCVD-BCC without chemical induction after 3 and 14 days compared to the flat control. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the potential of combining two technologies to make hybrid structures that can modulate stem cell attachment and differentiation.