Nonmetal tellurium (Te) exhibits unique advantages, such as a narrow bandgap and high carrier mobility, which facilitate its separation and transport of photogenerated carriers, thus endowing optoelectronic devices with high responsivity and detectivity. To date, the currently developed Te-related nanomaterials are dominated by Te nanosheets (NSs), Te-containing compound nanostructures, and their heterojunctions, yet the atomic utilization efficiency of Te atoms still remains unsatisfactory, far below its ultimate detection capability. In this work, Te single atoms anchored into a (nitrogen, oxygen)-doped carbon support, denoted as Te SA/(N,O)-C, were rationally designed and for the first time successfully synthesized by pyrolysis. The as-synthesized Te SA/(N,O)-C was directly utilized as the active material for the construction of a typical photoelectrochemical (PEC) photodetector. As a result of the maximum atom utilization, Te SA/(N,O)-C displays superior photocurrent density, photoresponsivity, and response/recovery time and comparable detectivity to many commonly reported Te-based nanostructures (e.g., Te NSs, Bi2Te3 nanoplates). Moreover, due to strong chemical formation of C-Te and O-Te bonds rather than weak Te-Te or Te-Se chemical bonds, the Te SA/(N,O)-C also exhibits outstanding PEC stability, holding great potential for practical applications.

Photobatteries (PBs), which integrate photoactive materials into conventional battery architectures, offer an effective strategy to enhance battery performance by utilizing photogenerated charge carriers in the energy storage medium. Herein, we report scalable synthesis of WO3-x-WS2 nanosheet (NS)-based heterostructures for photoelectrodes in Li-ion PBs. These NS heterostructures enable broadband light harvesting (300-800 nm) and efficient separation of photocharge carriers. Atomically interfaced heterostructures of WO3-x-WS2 NSs have demonstrated stable electrochemical performance, retaining 80% of their capacity after 300 cycles with a specific capacity of 515.94 mAh g-1 (100-1000 mA g-1). Additionally, PBs exhibited enhanced kinetics under illumination (∼12 mW cm-2), resulting in a 35-59% increase in specific capacity. The dual-mesh current collector approach has been employed to increase the active mass loading, which further enhanced light-matter interaction and ultimately increased specific capacity. This work demonstrates a design framework for optimizing charge-carrier dynamics in PBs and establishes a viable pathway toward high-performance PBs for IoT applications.

HighlightsWhat are the main findings?Optimized Au-decorated WS2/SnO2 heterostructures exhibited a high response of 11.7 toward 1000 ppb NO2 with an estimated LOD of ~40 ppb at room temperature.UV-assisted Au nanoparticle engineering significantly improved the sensing response and selectivity of the optimized 15Au-SW5 sensor.What are the implications of the main findings?Synergistic interfacial effects and Au-induced surface modulation contribute to enhanced room-temperature NO2 sensing behavior.The interface and surface engineering provide a practical strategy for developing low-power, high-performance gas sensors.Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a highly toxic oxidizing gas; therefore, the development of highly reliable room-temperature (RT) gas sensors with low power consumption is important for practical applications. Herein, WS2 nanosheet (NS)–SnO2 nanowire (NW) nanocomposites were synthesized and subsequently decorated with Au nanoparticles (NPs) using a UV irradiation method. The SnO2 content (1, 5, and 10 wt%) and UV irradiation time (1, 15, and 30 s) were systematically optimized to improve sensing performance. Among the prepared samples, the composite containing 5 wt% SnO2 (SW5) exhibited the highest response among the Au-free sensors, while the 15 s UV-treated sample (15Au-SW5) showed a significantly enhanced response of 11.7 toward NO2 at RT. The optimized sensor demonstrated reliable ppb-level detection, with an estimated experimental limit of detection of ~40 ppb and good selectivity, repeatability, and long-term stability. The improved performance is considered to be associated with the combined effects of WS2–SnO2 heterojunctions and Au-induced surface modulation, which may facilitate charge transfer and increase the density of reactive sites. This study highlights that the integration of 2D/1D heterostructures with controlled noble metal decoration is an effective approach for achieving high-performance RT gas sensors.

Optimization of strain-correlated electronic modulation and interfacial microenvironment for oxide-shielded PdGa nanosheets toward bifunctional electrocatalysis.

Rigid hydrogen-bonding networks and sluggish water dissociation kinetics severely hinder the performance of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in neutral electrolytes. Herein, a multisite electrocatalyst (Ni/LDH/CrN) with Ni and CrN nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on nickel–iron layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets (NSs) is constructed through a combined plasma synthetic strategy: plasma reduction and subsequent plasma sputtering processes. In Ni/LDH/CrN, the amorphous CrN NPs efficiently break the rigid hydrogen-bonding network and the Ni NPs can accelerate the kinetics of water dissociation, while the LDH NSs serve as the hydrogen evolution site. In addition, both Ni and CrN NPs facilitate the formation of a locally acidic microenvironment, providing more reactant (H3O+) for HER. As expected, the Ni/LDH/CrN exhibits enhanced HER activity with a low overpotential of 22 and 235 mV at 10 and 500 mA cm−2, respectively, in 1 M (mol L−1) phosphate-buffered solution. A remarkable long-term catalysis of up to 650 h at the industrial current density of 1000 mA cm−2 is also demonstrated by Ni/LDH/CrN. This work highlights an intriguing coupled plasma synthetic approach to obtain advanced multisite electrocatalysts.

Cholestatic hepatitis is a progressive inflammatory liver disease characterized by disrupted bile acid homeostasis, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and chronic inflammation, remains clinically challenging due to limited diagnostic precision and lack of effective, targeted therapies. Here, we developed a multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform, CyP-CuGA-UDCA nanosheets (NSs), that integrates therapeutic intervention with enzyme-responsive disease monitoring. The platform features copper-gallic acid (CuGA) nanozymes with superoxide dismutase-, peroxidase-, and catalase-like activities for effective ROS scavenging and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition. Co-loaded with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to alleviate bile acid toxicity, and with an alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-responsive near-infrared fluorescent probe (CyP), the nanoplatform enables targeted treatment and real-time imaging of cholestatic lesions. In a DDC-induced mice model, CyP-CuGA-UDCA NSs significantly suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production, reduced hepatic macrophage infiltration, attenuated oxidative stress and hepatocyte apoptosis, and alleviated fibrosis, outperforming monotherapies. Concurrently, the ALP-activated fluorescence allowed precise visualization of cholestatic progression in vivo. This study presents a first-in-class nanostructured system that couples NLRP3 inflammasome modulation and bile acid regulation with enzyme-specific diagnostics, offering a robust strategy for precision therapy and monitoring of cholestatic hepatitis.

ZnO decorated rGO nano sheet for radical-scavenging activity and photocatalytic degradation of synthetic dye

Syngas synthesis via CO2 electroreduction offers a low-temperature carbon-neutral route, yet with poor H2/CO ratio control and CH4 byproduct. Herein, we decoupled *H generation and binding to modulate its supply and CO2 reduction depth, steering efficient CO2-to-syngas conversion. As a prototype, (CuZnAlZrCe)O2 high-entropy oxide (HEO) nanosheets (NSs) were synthesized via liquid-phase templating and mild thermal decomposition. The multi-cation disorder facilitates CO2 activation and subsequent protonation into *COOH. Concurrently, HEO promotes water activation and accelerates *H generation, which in turn drives *COOH protonation into moderately-protonated CO. Importantly, HEO weakens *H adsorption, suppressing H2 overproduction and the formation of CH4, a deeply-hydrogenated byproduct. Consequently, (CuZnAlZrCe)O2 HEO achieves 58.2% CO Faradaic efficiency and 88.6% syngas selectivity, retaining > 80% syngas yield at ampere-level current density. This work presents a robust high-entropy catalyst that provides tunable syngas at industrially current densities, demonstrating a novel *H-supply-modulation strategy to regulate CO2 reduction depth for efficient CO2-to-syngas electrolysis.

Noble metal dichalcogenides (NTMDs), such as PtTe2, provide a platform in which noble metal centers are embedded within chalcogen-coordinated lattices, enabling modulation of the electronic structure of Pt while potentially maximizing noble metal utilization in ultrathin architectures. However, the strong interlayer coupling commonly observed in NTMDs makes the preparation of atomically thin structures challenging, limiting access to their coordination-dependent catalytic properties. In this work, a solvothermal strategy is given for the heteroepitaxial vertical growth of ultrathin PtTe2 nanosheets (NSs) on Te-substituted Cu1.81S nanorods. Surface anion exchange of Cu1.81S nanorods generates metastable Cu6-yTe4 and Cu7Te4 phases with abundant stacking faults, where the Cu6-yTe4 domains act as preferential nucleation sites for PtTe2 epitaxy, leading to vertically aligned NSs with a few-unit-cell thickness. Encouraged by this result, we further attempted the growth of ultrathin PtTe2 NSs on the peripheral facets of Cu1.81S nanoplates to fully exploit the catalytically active Pt sites while suppressing the agglomeration of PtTe2 NSs. Upon thermal treatment, the resulting structures undergo partial phase transformation to PtTe along with the formation of Te vacancies within the PtTe2 lattice, generating PtTe/Te-vacancy-rich PtTe2 heterostructures. The combination of ultrathin morphology, defect engineering, and Pt-Te coordination enables efficient exposure and electronic modulation of Pt active centers, resulting in enhanced oxygen reduction activity with a mass activity of 1.22 A mgPt-1 and excellent durability. Overall, this work demonstrates that lattice-mismatch-driven epitaxial growth provides an effective strategy for constructing ultrathin NTMD architectures and for enhancing noble metal utilization through coordination and defect engineering.

The addition of Graphene Nano Sheets (GNS) to Sn-Ag alloys presents a promising approach for enhancing lead-free solder materials, aiming to improve structural integrity and mechanical properties for electronic applications. In this study, we investigate the microstructural evolution and property enhancements in a Sn-Ag-GNS composite using Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) techniques. SANS analysis indicates that the specific surface area of the Sn-Ag-GNS composite increased from 2.4 m 2 /g in the base Sn-Ag alloy to 3.2 m 2 /g with the addition of GNS—a 25% rise that reflects the introduction of additional interfaces by the graphene. Furthermore, the fractal dimension ( Df ) decreased from 3.0 to 2.7, pointing to the development of rougher and more intricate interfacial structures that can enhance crack resistance and overall toughness. Such a reduction in fractal dimension reflects increased interfacial roughness, which is known to promote crack deflection and tortuous crack paths, thereby enhancing energy dissipation and resistance to crack propagation. The incorporation of GNS also disrupts the initial crystallographic texture, leading to a more isotropic grain orientation, which in turn promotes uniform mechanical behavior in all directions. Together, these findings demonstrate that GNS significantly improves the microstructure of Sn-Ag alloys by introducing refined grain structures, enhanced interfacial complexity, and increased isotropy, which are microstructural features commonly associated with enhanced mechanical performance and reliability in Sn-based solder systems. This study underscores the potential of GNS-reinforced Sn-Ag alloys as high-performance, lead-free solder materials suitable for modern electronic applications. • Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) was employed to quantify nanoscale interfacial evolution in graphene-reinforced Sn–Ag lead-free solder alloys. • Graphene nanosheet incorporation increased the SANS-derived specific surface area by ∼25% and reduced the effective fractal dimension from ∼3.0 to ∼2.7. • Shape-dependent SANS modelling revealed the development of larger anisotropic nanoscale domains following graphene addition. • Multiscale correlation of SANS, XRD, and EBSD demonstrates enhanced interfacial complexity, constrained grain growth, and increased lattice strain in the Sn matrix.

The controlled assembly of polyoxometalate (POM) clusters into ordered superstructures offers a powerful route to developing advanced catalysts. However, it remains unclear how the surface properties of POM clusters govern the assembly process and affect their catalytic performance. In this study, we precisely modulate the surface chemistry of POM clusters via mono- and di-Mn substitution, thereby directing the selective assembly of two nanosheet (NS) superstructures with hexagonal and oblique symmetries, respectively. In direct electro-epoxidation of propylene, the Mn2PW10 NS demonstrates markedly enhanced performance, with the Faraday efficiency increased by 4.4 times compared to the MnPW11 NS. Density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that incorporating metals into the POM framework modulates surface charge and ligand orientation, thereby directing the formation of distinct superstructures. Collision dynamics analyses further reveal that the surface ligand distribution affects reactant adsorption and diffusion, consequently affecting catalytic activity. This work not only establishes cluster surface engineering as a powerful strategy for constructing tailored subnanometric assemblies, but also provides deep insight into how the surface characteristics of these assemblies govern catalytic behavior.

The search for non-toxic lead-free halide perovskites that can compete with the lead-based counterparts has led to the emergence of double perovskites as potential candidates. Among many options, Cs2AgBiBr6 stands out as one of the most suitable eco-friendly materials for numerous optoelectronic applications. In this study, quasi-2D Cs2AgBiBr6 nanosheets (NSs) were prepared via the low-temperature injection colloidal synthesis and used to fabricate high-performance photodetectors in a transport-layer-free architecture. The reaction temperature and ligands played vital roles in the structural purity, shape, and size of the synthesized Cs2AgBiBr6 NSs. The fabricated NSs disclosed lateral sizes of up to 1.4 µm and are only a few nanometers thick. The high-performance photodetectors fabricated using the Cs2AgBiBr6 NSs yielded a high detectivity (D) of 1.15 × 1012 Jones, responsivity (R) of 121 mA/W, a notable on-off ratio of 2.39 × 104, and a fast rise and decay time of 857 and 829 µs, respectively. The device demonstrates remarkable stability. Basically, it sustains its entire photocurrent after storage in ambient conditions for 80 days. This work showcases a pathway for the colloidal synthesis of quasi-2D Cs2AgBiBr6 lead-free double perovskite NSs with suitable properties for high-performance photodetection and other optoelectronic applications.

The anisotropy of surface structures in metal oxide-based semiconductor photocatalysts plays a critical role in governing photoactivated gas sensing properties. However, the surface reaction mechanism of the photochemical behavior remains poorly understood at the atomic scale. In this study, using CuO nanomaterials with various morphologies as a model system, including nanoparticles (NPs), nanorods (NRs), and nanosheets (NSs), we identified their surface atomic structures through aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and first-principles calculation. We revealed the distinct surface reconstruction behaviors of the low Miller index surfaces. Photochemical sensing measurements showed that CuO NRs and CuO NSs, which predominantly expose oxygen-terminated (100) and copper-terminated (001) surfaces, respectively, exhibited optimized photoresponses toward H2S and CH3SH molecules. The concurrent adsorption of target molecules was revealed as the rate-determining step of the photocatalytic conversion. This work provides fundamental avenues for the predictive design and manipulation of surface reconstructions in metal oxides for a broad range of catalytic and sensing applications.

The abilities of a strong redox reaction and efficient selective removal of harmful molecules are two important factors in the photodegradation of organic pollutants for ideal environmental remediation. However, it is still an arduous pursuit to acquire shape-selective photocatalytic performance for photocatalysts owing to the randomly destructive effect of free radicals generated on the surface of catalysts toward both harmful pollutants and eco-friendly organisms in nature. Herein, an eco-friendly photocatalyst (TiO2 NSs@Y-zeolite) was synthesized by engineering the highly active {001} facet exposure of TiO2 nanosheets (NSs) via controlling fluorine doping, followed by fixation inside the Y-zeolite crystals. The as-prepared zeolite-fixed TiO2 NSs demonstrated outstanding eco-friendly capabilities with fairly effective shape-selective photodegradation activity. The aniline pollutant can be completely removed over the catalyst under 360 min UV–vis illumination in the aniline and chlorophyll mixed aqueous solution, while the eco-friendly chlorophyll macromolecules remain nearly unharmed with a lower photodegradation rate of 5%. The excellent shape-selective properties of the photocatalyst are ascribed to the sieving effect of the micropores in the Y-zeolite shelter, which only allows the aniline small molecules to access the catalyst surface while preventing the bulky chlorophyll from passing through. We found that it is photogenerated hole carriers, rather than electrons, that are rapidly transferred to the active {001} facets of TiO2 NSs driven by the built-in internal electric field (IEF) to undergo a strong redox reaction. The strong interaction between aniline and the exposed {001} facets, with some possible planar adsorption state, was also first found due to the dipole–dipole/coordination interactions between the nitrogen atom of the dipolar aniline and the Ti4+ site at the surface of the dipolar TiO2 lattice, which is favorable to the efficient photodegradation of the pollutant aniline.

Low-temperature (including room-temperature) gas sensors are crucial for energy-efficient and safe detection applications. In this study, we report the synthesis of In2O3-sensitized NiO nanoparticles (NPs) for NO2 detection. The NiO/In2O3 hybrid materials were obtained by pyrolysis of Ni/In bimetallic metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheets (NSs) fabricated through ultrasonic synthesis and cation exchange. Gas sensing tests revealed that the In2O3 sensitization significantly enhances the NO2 sensing performance of NiO, enabling a response of 1.5 at room temperature (RT) and an optimal response at 100 °C. The NiO/In2O3 sensor demonstrates enhanced selectivity toward NO2, an ultra-low detection limit (41 ppb), and long-term stability. This study presents an effective MOF-derived route for developing high-performance low-power gas sensors.

Cryogenic CMOS technology provides a promising approach to surpass the Boltzmann limit and advance Moore's Law, addressing the increasing demand for high-performance computing. However, at cryogenic temperatures, the subthreshold swing (SS) of the device saturates due to the band-tail effect. This study presents a 3-vertically stacked gate-all-around nanosheet (NS) transistor featuring room-temperature O radical interface passivation. This approach leverages the high reactivity of O radicals to minimize etch-induced damage, passivate interface defects, reduce thermal budget, and ensure uniformity in complex 3D structures. Structural characterization revealed a uniform 0.76-nm-thick interface layer, with a surface roughness of 0.103 nm and an interface trap density of 2.72 × 1011 cm-2·eV-1 at 300 K. Thereby, the band-tail-induced SS saturation at cryogenic temperatures is effectively mitigated. Experimental results confirm a lower characteristic temperature Tv for reaching the saturation plateau, and a saturated SS of 15.4 mV/dec at 4.5 K. Furthermore, reducing disorder-induced defects substantially suppresses the band tail state-assisted carrier emission, thereby minimizing subthreshold leakage. This enables the device to achieve an off-state current below 1 pA/μm at a temperature under 77 K, reaching 0.18 pA/μm at 4.5 K. Additionally, a reduction in 25.4% in drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL), with a 9% boost in transconductance (Gm) peak is achieved at 4.5 K. The enhanced subthreshold switching, reduced leakage, and improved Gm in this interfacial-optimized NS FET strongly supports cryo-CMOS as a viable solution for energy-efficient computing.

A dual-purpose photothermal biosensing platform for simultaneous quantification and viability assessment of tumor cells.

In this study, a novel vertically stacked nanosheet (NS) feedback field-effect transistor with tree-type channel (Tree-FBFET) is proposed for one-transistor dynamic random access memory (1T-DRAM) application. Compared with the conventional NS channel structure, an additional SiGe interbridge (IB) channel is vertically integrated in Tree-FBFET. The enhanced performance of Tree-FBFET stems from additional SiGe storage region which is recognized as the SiGe channel. The Tree-FBFET based 1T-DRAM shows an improvement of 2.8 times in sensing margin (SM) (from 126 to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$351~\boldsymbol {\mu }$</tex-math> </inline-formula>A/<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol {\mu }$</tex-math> </inline-formula>m) and extends retention time (RT) from 0.6 to 32 s compared to 1T-DRAM based on conventional vertically stacked NS-FBFET. Moreover, the energy consumption is 35 fJ/bit for the write “1” operation and 0 fJ/bit for the hold operation. Geometric parameters of IB and NS, along with Ge mole fraction, are evaluated with respect to SM and RT. Furthermore, reliable <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3\times 3$</tex-math> </inline-formula> array operation of the proposed 1T-DRAM, free from disturbance of write operation, is also verified.

Morphological regulation engineering of ultrathin CdIn2S4 nanosheets for highly efficient photocatalytic C-N coupling of biomass-derived amine to imines.

Dual-emission fluorescent ZnS nanosheets for sensitive detection of carcinogenic Sudan dyes in chili powder and lipstick samples.