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In recent years, novel materials supporting in-plane anisotropic polaritons have attracted a lot of research interest due to their capability of shaping nanoscale field distributions and controlling nanophotonic energy flows. Here we report a nano-optical imaging study of waveguide exciton polaritons (EPs) in tin sulfide (SnS) in the near-infrared (IR) region using the scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). With s-SNOM, we mapped in real space the propagative EPs in SnS, which show sensitive dependence on the excitation energy and sample thickness. Moreover, we found that both the polariton wavelength and propagation length are anisotropic in the sample plane. In particular, in a narrow spectral range from 1.32 to 1.44 eV, the EPs demonstrate quasi-one-dimensional propagation, which is rarely seen in natural polaritonic materials. Further analysis indicates that the observed polariton anisotropy is originated from the different optical bandgaps and exciton binding energies along the two principal crystal axes of SnS., Comment: 21 pages

Two-dimensional (2D) materials provide extraordinary opportunities for exploring phenomena arising in atomically thin crystals. Beginning with the first isolation of graphene, mechanical exfoliation has been a key to provide high-quality 2D materials but despite improvements it is still limited in yield, lateral size and contamination. Here we introduce a contamination-free, one-step and universal Au-assisted mechanical exfoliation method and demonstrate its effectiveness by isolating 40 types of single-crystalline monolayers, including elemental 2D crystals, metal-dichalcogenides, magnets and superconductors. Most of them are of millimeter-size and high-quality, as shown by transfer-free measurements of electron microscopy, photo spectroscopies and electrical transport. Large suspended 2D crystals and heterojunctions were also prepared with high-yield. Enhanced adhesion between the crystals and the substrates enables such efficient exfoliation, for which we identify a common rule that underpins a universal route for producing large-area monolayers and thus supports studies of fundamental properties and potential application of 2D materials.

Layered semiconductors show promise as channel materials for field-effect transistors (FETs). Usually, such devices incorporate solid back or top gate dielectrics. Here, we explore de-ionized (DI) water as a solution top gate for field-effect switching of layered semiconductors including SnS2, MoS2, and black phosphorus. The DI water gate is easily fabricated, can sustain rapid bias changes, and its efficient coupling to layered materials provides high on-off current ratios, a near-ideal sub-threshold swing, and enhanced shortchannel behavior even for FETs with thick, bulk-like channels. Screening by the high-k solution gate eliminates hysteresis due to surface and interface trap states and substantially enhances the field-effect mobility. The onset of water electrolysis sets the ultimate limit to DI water gating at large negative gate bias. Measurements in this regime show promise for aqueous sensing, demonstrated here by the amperometric detection of glucose in aqueous solution. DI water gating of layered semiconductors can be harnessed in research on novel materials and devices, and it may with further development find broad applications in microelectronics and sensing.

We report an improved photosensitivity in few-layer tin disulfide (SnS2) field-effect transistors (FETs) following doping with CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs). The hybrid QD-SnS2 FET devices achieve more than 500 percent increase in the photocurrent response compared with the starting SnS2-only FET device and a spectral responsivity reaching over 650 A/W at 400 nm wavelength. The negligible electrical conductance in a control QD-only FET device suggests that energy transfer between QDs and SnS2 is the main mechanism responsible for the sensitization effect, which is consistent with the strong spectral overlap between QD photoluminescence and SnS2 optical absorption as well as the large nominal donor-acceptor interspacing between QD core and SnS2. We also find an enhanced charge carrier mobility in hybrid QD-SnS2 FETs which we attribute to a reduced contact Schottky barrier width due to an elevated background charge carrier density.

Black phosphorus (BP) has attracted significant interest as a monolayer or few-layer material with extraordinary electrical and optoelectronic properties. However, degradation in air and other environments is an unresolved issue that may limit future applications. In particular the role of different ambient species has remained controversial. Here, we report systematic experiments combined with ab-initio calculations that address the effects of oxygen and water in the degradation of BP. Our results show that BP rapidly degrades whenever oxygen is present, but is unaffected by deaerated (i.e., O2 depleted) water. This behavior is rationalized by oxidation involving a facile dissociative chemisorption of O2, whereas H2O molecules are weakly physisorbed and do not dissociate on the BP surface. Oxidation (by O2) turns the hydrophobic pristine BP surface progressively hydrophilic. Our results have implications on the development of encapsulation strategies for BP, and open new avenues for exploration of phenomena in aqueous solutions including solution-gating, electrochemistry, and solution-phase approaches for exfoliation, dispersion, and delivery of BP.

Using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we demonstrate an unambiguous 1-D system that surprisingly undergoes a CDW instability on a metallic substrate. Our ability to directly and quantitatively measure the structural distortion of this system provides an accurate reference for comparison with first principles theory. In comparison to previously proposed physical mechanisms, we attribute this particular 1-D CDW instability to a ferromagnetic state. We show that though the linear arrayed dimers are not electronically isolated, they are magnetically independent, and hence can potentially serve as a binary spin-memory system., Comment: Includes Supplementary Information