There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Single-layer metal dichalcogenides are two-dimensional semiconductors that present strong potential for electronic and sensing applications complementary to that of graphene.

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Electronics and optoelectronics of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides.

Fabrication techniques developed for graphene research allow the disassembly of many layered crystals (so-called van der Waals materials) into individual atomic planes and their reassembly into designer heterostructures, which reveal new properties and phenomena. Andre Geim and Irina Grigorieva offer a forward-looking review of the potential of layering two-dimensional materials into novel heterostructures held together by weak van der Waals interactions. Dozens of these one-atom- or one-molecule-thick crystals are known. Graphene has already been well studied but others, such as monolayers of hexagonal boron nitride, MoS2, WSe2, graphane, fluorographene, mica and silicene are attracting increasing interest. There are many other monolayers yet to be examined of course, and the possibility of combining graphene with other crystals adds even further options, offering exciting new opportunities for scientific exploration and technological innovation. Research on graphene and other two-dimensional atomic crystals is intense and is likely to remain one of the leading topics in condensed matter physics and materials science for many years. Looking beyond this field, isolated atomic planes can also be reassembled into designer heterostructures made layer by layer in a precisely chosen sequence. The first, already remarkably complex, such heterostructures (often referred to as ‘van der Waals’) have recently been fabricated and investigated, revealing unusual properties and new phenomena. Here we review this emerging research area and identify possible future directions. With steady improvement in fabrication techniques and using graphene’s springboard, van der Waals heterostructures should develop into a large field of their own.

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Van der Waals heterostructures

Recent years have witnessed many breakthroughs in research on graphene (the first two-dimensional atomic crystal) as well as a significant advance in the mass production of this material. This one-atom-thick fabric of carbon uniquely combines extreme mechanical strength, exceptionally high electronic and thermal conductivities, impermeability to gases, as well as many other supreme properties, all of which make it highly attractive for numerous applications. Here we review recent progress in graphene research and in the development of production methods, and critically analyse the feasibility of various graphene applications.

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A roadmap for graphene

Ultrathin two-dimensional nanosheets of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are fundamentally and technologically intriguing. In contrast to the graphene sheet, they are chemically versatile. Mono- or few-layered TMDs - obtained either through exfoliation of bulk materials or bottom-up syntheses - are direct-gap semiconductors whose bandgap energy, as well as carrier type (n- or p-type), varies between compounds depending on their composition, structure and dimensionality. In this Review, we describe how the tunable electronic structure of TMDs makes them attractive for a variety of applications. They have been investigated as chemically active electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and hydrosulfurization, as well as electrically active materials in opto-electronics. Their morphologies and properties are also useful for energy storage applications such as electrodes for Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors.

http://nanotubes.rutgers.edu/PDFs/nchem_TMDs_2013.pdf

The chemistry of two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets

Static and low frequency noise (LFN) characterizations in two-dimensional (2D) N-type random network thin film transistors (RN-TFTs) based on single-walled carbon nanotubes were presented. For the electrical parameter extraction, the Y-function method was used to suppress the series resistance (Rsd) influence. The gate-to-channel capacitance (Cgc) was directly measured by the split capacitance-to-voltage method and compared to 2D metal-plate capacitance model (C2D). In addition, to account for the percolation-dominated 2D RN-TFTs, a numerical percolation simulation was performed. LFN measurements were also carried out and the results were well interpreted by the carrier number and correlated mobility fluctuation model. Finally, one-dimensional (1D) cylindrical analytical capacitance based model (C1D) was suggested and applied to provide better consistency between all electrical parameters based on experimental and simulation results.

Static and low frequency noise characterization of N-type random network of carbon nanotubes thin film transistors

We report that the decoration of metallic single-walled carbon nanotube (m-SWCNT) networks with cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) can improve the electrical conductivity of the networks. To measure the electrical conductivity, we prepared m-SWCNT networks between the source and drain electrodes of field-effect transistors (FETs). Then, the amount of CoO nanoparticles (NPs) used for decoration was controlled by treating the FETs with different volumes of a solution containing Co(NO3)2·6H2O. Atomic force microscopy imaging showed that CoO NPs were intensively deposited on the intertubular junction of the m-SWCNT networks. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that the oxidation state of the Co element on m-SWCNT was CoO. Raman spectra revealed that heavy decoration of CoO increased the D-band intensity of the m-SWCNT, indicating that the CoO NPs disordered the sp2 hybridized carbon atoms of the m-SWCNT via decoration. The electrical conductivity of the m-SWCNT networks was enhanced up to 28 times after decoration, and this was attributed to the CoO NPs connecting the m-SWCNTs at junctions of the networks.

Electrical conductivity enhancement of metallic single-walled carbon nanotube networks by CoO decoration

A new method for the extraction of flat-band voltage ( V fb ) and channel doping concentration ( N d ) in Tri-gate Junctionless Transistors (JLTs) is presented. The new method, based on the relationship between the top-effective width ( W top_eff ) in accumulation and the effective width ( W eff ′ ) in partial depletion, enables the extraction of V fb and N d of JLT devices (here as ≈0.61 V and ≈6.4 × 10 18  cm −3 , respectively). The validity of the new method is also proved by 2D numerical simulations. Furthermore, it is emphasized that the sidewall accumulation current ( I d_side ) behavior of Tri-gate JLT devices is found to decrease dramatically near V fb , allowing an estimation of the V fb position of JLT devices.

A new method for the extraction of flat-band voltage and doping concentration in Tri-gate Junctionless Transistors

Percolation network of the growing V2O5 nanowires was demonstrated by devising a simple but practical method to investigate the percolation phenomena. As the reaction proceeded in the ammonium(meta)vanadate solution at room temperature, the lengths of V2O5 nanowires increased at a speed of 0.13μm∕day at an early stage of the growth and 0.03μm∕day on the average up to 3 months. Percolation network was made by abruptly freezing the homogeneously dispersed aqueous solutions of V2O5 nanowires in liquid nitrogen. After 7h of aging time, an abrupt increase of the conductance was observed, revealing the satisfaction of the percolation threshold (pc∼0.17) at the average wire length of 40nm.

Percolation network of growing V2O5 nanowires

Thickness-dependent bandgap and carrier mobility of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials make them a promising material as a phototransistor that detects light signals and converts them to electrical signals. Thus far, to achieve a high photoresponsivity of 2D materials, enormous efforts have been made via material and dielectric engineering, as well as modifying device structure. Nevertheless, understanding the effect of interplay between the thickness and the carrier mobility to photoresponsivity is little known. Here, we demonstrate the tunable photoresponsivity (R) of 2D multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), which is an attractive candidate for photodetection among 2D vdW materials owing to its layer-independent direct bandgap and decoupled vdW interaction. The gate bias (VG)-dependent photocurrent generation mechanism and R are presented for the channel thickness range of 1.7–27.5 nm. The high similarity between VG-dependent photocurrent and transconductance features in the ReS2 phototransistors clearly implies the importance of the channel thickness and the operating VG bias condition. Finally, the maximum R was found to be 4.1 × 105 A/W at 14.3 nm with the highest carrier mobility of ∼15.7 cm2⋅V−1⋅s−1 among the fabricated devices after excluding the contact resistance effect. This work sheds light on the strategy of how to obtain the highest R in 2D vdW-based phototransistors.

Gyu Tae Kim

Papers

Static and low frequency noise characterization of N-type random network of carbon nanotubes thin film transistors

Electrical conductivity enhancement of metallic single-walled carbon nanotube networks by CoO decoration

A new method for the extraction of flat-band voltage and doping concentration in Tri-gate Junctionless Transistors

Percolation network of growing V2O5 nanowires

Understanding tunable photoresponsivity of two-dimensional multilayer phototransistors: Interplay between thickness and carrier mobility