Atomic Intercalation - an Approach to Enhance Photogenerated Carrier Dynamics for Efficient Photocatalysis Carbon Dioxide Reduction.

Visible-light-driven carbon dioxide (CO) reduction presents a long-term answer to environmental challenges. However, the limited effective optical carriers generated by the limited response dynamics of the existing photocatalyst have severely hindered the development of high efficiency photocatalysts. Here, we report a method of cobalt atoms intercalation in ultrathin BiOBr nanosheets for boosted photocatalytic CO reduction.

Synergistic Surface Engineering of BiVO Photoanodes for Improved Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation.

Surface engineering of BiVO photoanodes is effective and feasible for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. To achieve superior PEC performance, however, more than one surface engineering method is usually indispensable, for which a positive synergistic effect is vital and thus highly desired. Herein, it is reported that the incorporation of borate moieties into ultrathin p-type NiO catalysts can induce the reconfiguration of surface catalytic sites to form new highly active species, in addition to enhanced fast charge separation and transfer.

Modulation of Kondo Behavior in a Two-Dimensional Epitaxial Bilayer Bi(111)/FeGeTe Moiré Heterostructure.

Artificial two-dimensional (2D) moiré superlattices provide a platform for generating exotic quantum matter or phenomena. Here, an epitaxial heterostructure composed of bilayer Bi(111) and an FeGeTe substrate with a zero-twist angle is acquired by molecular beam epitaxy. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy studies reveal the spatially tailored Kondo resonance and interfacial magnetism within this moiré superlattice.

Controllable Modulation of the Electronic Properties of a Two-Dimensional Ambipolar Semiconductor by Interface Ferroelectric Polarization.

Precise control of charge carrier type and density of two-dimensional (2D) ambipolar semiconductors is the prerequisite for their applications in next-generation integrated circuits and electronic devices. Here, by fabricating a heterointerface between a 2D ambipolar semiconductor (hydrogenated germanene, GeH) and a ferroelectric substrate (PbMgNbO-PbTiO, PMN-PT), fine-tuning of charge carrier type and density of GeH is achieved. Due to ambipolar properties, proper band gap, and high carrier mobility of GeH, by applying the opposite local bias (±8 V), a lateral polarization in GeH is constructed with a change of work function by 0.

A Liquid-Metal-Based Magnetoactive Slurry for Stimuli-Responsive Mechanically Adaptive Electrodes.

Electrical communication between a biological system and outside equipment allows one to monitor and influence the state of the tissue and nervous networks. As the bridge, bioelectrodes should possess both electrical conductivity and adaptive mechanical properties matching the target soft biosystem, but this is still a big challenge. A family of liquid-metal-based magnetoactive slurries (LMMSs) formed by dispersing magnetic iron particles in a Ga-based liquid metal (LM) matrix is reported here.