Upconversion electroluminescence in 2D semiconductors integrated with plasmonic tunnel junctions

Plasmonic tunnel junctions are a unique electroluminescent system in which light emission occurs via an interplay between tunnelling electrons and plasmonic fields instead of electron-hole recombination as in conventional light-emitting diodes. It was previously shown that placing luminescent molecules in the tunneling pathway of nanoscopic tunnel junctions results in peculiar upconversion electroluminescence where the energy of emitted photons exceeds that of excitation electrons. Here we report the observation of upconversion electroluminescence in macroscopic van der Waals plasmonic tunnel junctions comprising gold and few-layer graphene electrodes separated by a ~2-nm-thick hexagonal boron nitride tunnel barrier and a monolayer semiconductor. We find that the semiconductor ground exciton emission is triggered at excitation electron energies lower than the semiconductor optical gap. Interestingly, this upconversion is reached in devices operating at a low conductance (<10-6 S) and low power density regime (<102 W cm-2), defying explanation through existing proposed mechanisms. By examining the scaling relationship between plasmonic and excitonic emission intensities, we elucidate the role of inelastic electron tunnelling dipoles that induce optically forbidden transitions in the few-layer graphene electrode and ultrafast hot carrier transfer across the van der Waals interface.

Graphene oxide-polyamine preprogrammable nanoreactors with sensing capability for corrosion protection of materials

Corrosion is one of the major issues for sustainable manufacturing globally. The annual global cost of corrosion is US$2.5 trillion (approximately 3.4% of the world's GDP). The traditional ways of corrosion protection (such as barriers or inhibiting) are either not very effective (in the case of barrier protection) or excessively expensive (inhibiting). Here, we demonstrate a concept of nanoreactors, which are able to controllably release or adsorb protons or hydroxides directly on corrosion sites, hence, selectively regulating the corrosion reactions. A single nanoreactor comprises a nanocompartment wrapped around by a pH-sensing membrane represented, respectively, by a halloysite nanotube and a graphene oxide/polyamine envelope. A nanoreactor response is determined by the change of a signaling pH on a given corrosion site. The nanoreactors are self-assembled and suitable for mass-line production. The concept creates sustainable technology for developing smart anticorrosion coatings, which are nontoxic, selective, and inexpensive.

Single Atomic Defect Conductivity for Selective Dilute Impurity Imaging in 2D Semiconductors

Precisely controlled impurity doping is of fundamental significance in modern semiconductor technologies. Desired physical properties are often achieved at impurity concentrations well below parts per million level. For emergent two-dimensional semiconductors, development of reliable doping strategies is hindered by the inherent difficulty in identifying and quantifying impurities in such a dilute limit where the absolute number of atoms to be detected is insufficient for common analytical techniques. Here we report rapid high-contrast imaging of dilute single atomic impurities by using conductive atomic force microscopy. We show that the local conductivity is enhanced by more than 100-fold by a single impurity atom due to resonance-assisted tunneling. Unlike the closely related scanning tunneling microscopy, the local conductivity sensitively depends on the impurity energy level, allowing minority defects to be selectively imaged. We further demonstrate subsurface impurity detection with single monolayer depth resolution in multilayer materials.

Stability of a Rolled-Up Conformation State for Two-Dimensional Materials in Aqueous Solutions

Two-dimensional (2D) materials can roll up, forming stable scrolls under suitable conditions. However, the great diversity of materials and fabrication techniques has resulted in a huge parameter space significantly complicating the theoretical description of scrolls. In this Letter, we describe a universal binding energy of scrolls determined solely by their material parameters, the bending stiffness, and the Hamaker coefficient. Aiming to predict the stability of functionalized scrolls in water solutions, we consider the electrostatic double-layer repulsion force that may overcome the binding energy and flatten the scrolls. Our predictions are represented as comprehensive maps indicating the stable and unstable regions of a rolled-up conformation state in the space of material and external parameters. While focusing mostly on functionalized graphene in this work, our approach is applicable to the whole range of 2D materials able to form scrolls.

2D Electrolytes: Theory, Modeling, Synthesis, and Characterization

A class of compounds sharing the properties of 2D materials and electrolytes, namely 2D electrolytes is described theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. 2D electrolytes dissociate in different solvents, such as water, and become electrically charged. The chemical and physical properties of these compounds can be controlled by external factors, such as pH, temperature, electric permittivity of the medium, and ionic concentration. 2D electrolytes, in analogy with polyelectrolytes, present reversible morphological transitions from 2D to 1D, as a function of pH, due to the interplay of the elastic and Coulomb energies. Since these materials show stimuli-responsive behavior to the environmental conditions, 2D electrolytes can be considered as a novel class of smart materials that expand the functionalities of 2D materials and are promising for applications that require stimuli-responsive demeanor, such as drug delivery, artificial muscles, and energy storage.

Two-dimensional adaptive membranes with programmable water and ionic channels

Membranes are ubiquitous in nature with primary functions that include adaptive filtering and selective transport of chemical/molecular species. Being critical to cellular functions, they are also fundamental in many areas of science and technology. Of particular importance are the adaptive and programmable membranes that can change their permeability or selectivity depending on the environment. Here, we explore implementation of such biological functions in artificial membranes and demonstrate two-dimensional self-assembled heterostructures of graphene oxide and polyamine macromolecules, forming a network of ionic channels that exhibit regulated permeability of water and monovalent ions. This permeability can be tuned by a change of pH or the presence of certain ions. Unlike traditional membranes, the regulation mechanism reported here relies on specific interactions between the membranes' internal components and ions. This allows fabrication of membranes with programmable, predetermined permeability and selectivity, governed by the choice of components, their conformation and their charging state.

Evidence of Rotational Fröhlich Coupling in Polaronic Trions

Electrons commonly couple through Fröhlich interactions with longitudinal optical phonons to form polarons. However, trions possess a finite angular momentum and should therefore couple instead to rotational optical phonons. This creates a polaronic trion whose binding energy is determined by the crystallographic orientation of the lattice. Here, we demonstrate theoretically within the Fröhlich approach and experimentally by photoluminescence emission that the bare trion binding energy (20 meV) is significantly enhanced by the phonons at the interface between the two-dimensional semiconductor MoS_{2} and the bulk transition metal oxide SrTiO_{3}. The low-temperature binding energy changes from 60 meV in [001]-oriented substrates to 90 meV for [111] orientation, as a result of the counterintuitive interplay between the rotational axis of the MoS_{2} trion and that of the SrTiO_{3} phonon mode.

Electro-Optic Upconversion in van der Waals Heterostructures via Nonequilibrium Photocarrier Tunneling

Ultrafast interlayer charge transfer is one of the most distinct features of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. Its dynamics competes with carrier thermalization such that the energy of nonthermalized photocarriers may be harnessed by band engineering. In this study, nonthermalized photocarrier energy is harnessed to achieve near-infrared (NIR) to visible light upconversion in a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) vdW heterostructure tunnel diode consisting of few-layer graphene (FLG), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS₂ ). Photoexcitation of the electrically biased heterostructure with 1.58 eV NIR laser in the linear absorption regime generates emission from the ground exciton state of WS₂ , which corresponds to upconversion by ≈370 meV. The upconversion is realized by electrically assisted interlayer transfer of nonthermalized photoexcited holes from FLG to WS₂ , followed by formation and radiative recombination of excitons in WS₂ . The photocarrier transfer rate can be described by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling mechanism and is electrically tunable by two orders of magnitude by tuning voltage bias applied to the device. This study highlights the prospects for realizing novel electro-optic upconversion devices by exploiting electrically tunable nonthermalized photocarrier relaxation dynamics in vdW heterostructures.

Harnessing Exciton-Exciton Annihilation in Two-Dimensional Semiconductors

Strong many-body interactions in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors give rise to efficient exciton-exciton annihilation (EEA). This process is expected to result in the generation of unbound high energy carriers. Here, we report an unconventional photoresponse of van der Waals heterostructure devices resulting from efficient EEA. Our heterostructures, which consist of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and few-layer graphene, exhibit photocurrent when photoexcited carriers possess sufficient energy to overcome the high energy barrier of hBN. Interestingly, we find that the device exhibits moderate photocurrent quantum efficiency even when the semiconducting TMD layer is excited at its ground exciton resonance despite the high exciton binding energy and large transport barrier. Using ab initio calculations, we show that EEA yields highly energetic electrons and holes with unevenly distributed energies depending on the scattering condition. Our findings highlight the dominant role of EEA in determining the photoresponse of 2D semiconductor optoelectronic devices.

Polaronic Trions at the MoS2 /SrTiO3 Interface

The reduced electrical screening in 2D materials provides an ideal platform for realization of exotic quasiparticles, that are robust and whose functionalities can be exploited for future electronic, optoelectronic, and valleytronic applications. Recent examples include an interlayer exciton, where an electron from one layer binds with a hole from another, and a Holstein polaron, formed by an electron dressed by a sea of phonons. Here, a new quasiparticle is reported, "polaronic trion" in a heterostructure of MoS₂ /SrTiO₃ (STO). This emerges as the Fröhlich bound state of the trion in the atomically thin monolayer of MoS₂ and the very unique low energy soft phonon mode (≤7 meV, which is temperature and field tunable) in the quantum paraelectric substrate STO, arising below its structural antiferrodistortive (AFD) phase transition temperature. This dressing of the trion with soft phonons manifests in an anomalous temperature dependence of photoluminescence emission leading to a huge enhancement of the trion binding energy (≈70 meV). The soft phonons in STO are sensitive to electric field, which enables field control of the interfacial trion-phonon coupling and resultant polaronic trion binding energy. Polaronic trions could provide a platform to realize quasiparticle-based tunable optoelectronic applications driven by many body effects.

Giant gate-tunable bandgap renormalization and excitonic effects in a 2D semiconductor

Understanding the remarkable excitonic effects and controlling the exciton binding energies in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors are crucial in unlocking their full potential for use in future photonic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we demonstrate large excitonic effects and gate-tunable exciton binding energies in single-layer rhenium diselenide (ReSe₂) on a back-gated graphene device. We used scanning tunneling spectroscopy and differential reflectance spectroscopy to measure the quasiparticle electronic and optical bandgap of single-layer ReSe₂, respectively, yielding a large exciton binding energy of 520 meV. Further, we achieved continuous tuning of the electronic bandgap and exciton binding energy of monolayer ReSe₂ by hundreds of milli-electron volts through electrostatic gating, attributed to tunable Coulomb interactions arising from the gate-controlled free carriers in graphene. Our findings open a new avenue for controlling the bandgap renormalization and exciton binding energies in 2D semiconductors for a wide range of technological applications.

Model Prediction of Self-Rotating Excitons in Two-Dimensional Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides

Using the quasiclassical concept of Berry curvature we demonstrate that a Dirac exciton-a pair of Dirac quasiparticles bound by Coulomb interactions-inevitably possesses an intrinsic angular momentum making the exciton effectively self-rotating. The model is applied to excitons in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, in which the charge carriers are known to be described by a Dirac-like Hamiltonian. We show that the topological self-rotation strongly modifies the exciton spectrum and, as a consequence, resolves the puzzle of the overestimated two-dimensional polarizability employed to fit earlier spectroscopic measurements.

Interacting Electrons in Graphene: Fermi Velocity Renormalization and Optical Response

We have developed a Hartree-Fock theory for electrons on a honeycomb lattice aiming to solve a long-standing problem of the Fermi velocity renormalization in graphene. Our model employs no fitting parameters (like an unknown band cutoff) but relies on a topological invariant (crystal structure function) that makes the Hartree-Fock sublattice spinor independent of the electron-electron interaction. Agreement with the experimental data is obtained assuming static self-screening including local field effects. As an application of the model, we derive an explicit expression for the optical conductivity and discuss the renormalization of the Drude weight. The optical conductivity is also obtained via precise quantum Monte Carlo calculations which compares well to our mean-field approach.

Photothermoelectric and photoelectric contributions to light detection in metal-graphene-metal photodetectors

Graphene's high mobility and Fermi velocity, combined with its constant light absorption in the visible to far-infrared range, make it an ideal material to fabricate high-speed and ultrabroadband photodetectors. However, the precise mechanism of photodetection is still debated. Here, we report wavelength and polarization-dependent measurements of metal-graphene-metal photodetectors. This allows us to quantify and control the relative contributions of both photothermo- and photoelectric effects, both adding to the overall photoresponse. This paves the way for a more efficient photodetector design for ultrafast operating speeds.

Anti-inflammatory and anti-mutagenic effect of the YHK phytocompound in hepatocytes: in view of an age-management liver-protecting approach

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) regulates cellular proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to test the in vitro effect of Yo Jyo Hen Shi Ko (YHK), a nutraceutical with prior data suggesting its hepatocyte-protecting role, in regulating RAGE in the proliferation of the HCC cell line HuH7 as well checking also its potential modulation in the expression of the transcriptional factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65. Our study showed that YHK significantly reduced cellular growth in the HuH7 cell line (p<0.05). Moreover, this phytocompound partly reduced gene expression of NF-κB p65 (by 35%, p<0.05). These data suggest that YHK has a potential role as a modulator of RAGE and RAGE ligands for potential healthy liver intervention in HCC prevention strategies.

Pseudospin in optical and transport properties of graphene

We show that the pseudospin, being an additional degree of freedom for carriers in graphene, can be efficiently controlled by means of the electron-electron interactions which, in turn, can be manipulated by changing the substrate. In particular, an out-of-plane pseudospin component can occur leading to a zero-field Hall current as well as to polarization-sensitive interband optical absorption.

Minimum electrical and thermal conductivity of graphene: a quasiclassical approach

We investigate the minimum conductivity of graphene within a quasiclassical approach taking into account electron-hole coherence effects which stem from the chiral nature of low energy excitations. Relying on an analytical solution of the kinetic equation in the electron-hole coherent and incoherent cases, we study both the electrical and the thermal conductivity whose relation satisfies the Wiedemann-Franz law. We find that most of the previous findings based on the Boltzmann equation are restricted to only high mobility samples where electron-hole coherence effects are not sufficient.