Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “tellurene”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

Tellurene Photodetector with High Gain and Wide Bandwidth

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have been extensively explored as a new class of materials with great potential. In particular, black phosphorus (BP) has been considered to be a strong candidate for applications such as high-performance infrared photodetectors. However, the scalability of BP thin film is still a challenge, and its poor stability in the air has hampered the progress of the commercialization of BP devices. Herein, we report the use of hydrothermal-synthesized and air-stable 2D tellurene nanoflakes for broadband and ultrasensitive photodetection. The tellurene nanoflakes show high hole mobilities up to 458 cm 2 /V·s at ambient conditions, and the tellurene photodetector presents peak extrinsic responsivity of 383 A/W, 19.2 mA/W, and 18.9 mA/W at 520 nm, 1.55 μm, and 3.39 μm light wavelength, respectively. Because of the photogating effect, high gains up to 1.9 × 10 3 and 3.15 × 10 4 are obtained at 520 nm and 3.39 μm wavelength, respectively. At the communication wavelength of 1.55 μm, the tellurene photodetector exhibits an exceptionally high anisotropic behavior, and a large bandwidth of 37 MHz is obtained. The photodetection performance at different wavelength is further supported by the corresponding quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) simulations. Our approach has demonstrated the air-stable tellurene photodetectors that fully cover the short-wave infrared band with ultrafast photoresponse.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Thickness-dependent polaron crossover in tellurene

Polarons, quasiparticles from electron-phonon coupling, are crucial for material properties including high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance. However, scarce studies have investigated polaron formation in low-dimensional materials with phonon polarity and electronic structure transitions. In this work, we studied polarons of tellurene, composed of chiral Te chains. The frequency and linewidth of the A 1 phonon, which becomes increasingly polar for thinner tellurene, change abruptly for thickness below 10 nanometers, where field-effect mobility drops rapidly. These phonon and transport signatures, combined with phonon polarity and band structure, suggest a crossover from large polarons in bulk tellurium to small polarons in few-layer tellurene. Effective field theory considering phonon renormalization in the small-polaron regime semiquantitatively reproduces the phonon hardening and broadening effects. This polaron crossover stems from the quasi–one-dimensional nature of tellurene, where modulation of interchain distance reduces dielectric screening and promotes electron-phonon coupling. Our work provides valuable insights into the influence of polarons on phononic, electronic, and structural properties in low-dimensional materials.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Exploring layer thinning of exfoliated β-tellurene and room temperature photoluminescence with large exciton binding energy revealed in β-TeO 2

Due to its tunable bandgap, anisotropic behavior, and superior thermoelectric properties, device applications using layered tellurene (Te) are becoming more attractive. Here, we report a thinning technique for exfoliated tellurene nanosheets using thermal annealing in an oxygen environment. We characterize different thinning parameters, including temperature and annealing time. Based on our measurements, we show that controlled layer thinning occurs in the narrow temperature range of 325–350 °C. We also show a reliable method to form β-tellurene oxide (β-TeO 2 ), which is an emerging wide bandgap semiconductor with promising electronic and optoelectronic properties. This wide bandgap semiconductor exhibits a broad photoluminescence (PL) spectrum with multiple peaks covering the range of 1.76–2.08 eV. This PL emission, coupled with Raman spectra, is strong evidence of the formation of 2D β-TeO 2 . We discuss the results obtained and the mechanisms of Te thinning and β-TeO 2 formation at different temperature regimes. We also discuss the optical bandgap of β-TeO 2 and show the existence of pronounced excitonic effects evident by the large exciton binding energy in this 2D β-TeO 2 system that reach 1.54–1.62 eV for bulk and monolayer, respectively. Our work can be utilized to have better control over the Te nanosheet thickness. It also sheds light on the formation of well-controlled β-TeO 2 layered semiconductors for electronic and optoelectronic applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Local Lattice Deformation of Tellurene Grain Boundaries by Four-Dimensional Electron Microscopy

Two-dimensional (2D) tellurene is a promising competitor for the fabrication of ultrathin optoelectronic devices belonging to a new family of monoelemental 2D materials. Furthermore, the precise fabrication and characterization of tellurene and its lattice defects is of utmost importance to determine device reliability and predict functionality, yet it remains experimentally challenging. The rapid growth of the four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) technique as well as postprocessing tools now allows for structural analysis with nanometer-scale resolution over a broad range of length scales. Here, we use 4D-STEM to reveal the three-dimensional (3D) atomic structure of the characteristic grain boundary in 2D tellurium formed through a new microwave-enabled chemical self-assembly. Strain and lattice parameter maps permit the reconstruction of the roughness of the grain boundary and suggest that its formation is promoted by a wedge of helical atomic chains along the [0001] crystallographic direction. The observation of wrinkles at the grain boundary is found to be the dominant relaxation mechanism. Insights into the formation mechanism are elucidated by mapping the lattice parameters as the first demonstration of local in-plane and out-of-plane unit cell variation in a nanometer-by-nanometer real-space array.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

1D to 2D Transition in Tellurium Observed by 4D Electron Microscopy

A new microwave-enhanced synthesis method for the production of tellurium nanostructures is reported here—with control over products from the 1D regime (sub-5 nm diameter nanowires), to nanoribbons, to the 2D tellurene regime—along with a new methodology for local statistical quantification of the crystallographic parameters of these materials at the nanometer scale. Using a direct electron detector and image-corrected microscope, large and robust 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy datasets for accurate structural analysis are obtained. These datasets allow the adaptation of quantitative techniques originally developed for X-ray diffraction (XRD) refinement analyses to transmission electron microscopy, enabling the first demonstration of sub-picometer accuracy lattice parameter extraction while also obtaining both the size of the coherent crystallite domains and the nanostrain, which is observed to decrease as nanowires transition to tellurene. This new local analysis is commensurate with global powder XRD results, indicating the robustness of both the new synthesis approach and new structural analysis methodology for future scalable production of 2D tellurene and characterization of nanomaterials.

2D materials↗

Tuned Reactivity at the Lithium Metal–Argyrodite Solid State Electrolyte Interphase

Thin intermetallic Li 2 Te–LiTe 3 bilayer (0.75 µm) derived from 2D tellurene stabilizes the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) of lithium metal and argyrodite (LPSCl, Li 6 PS 5 Cl) solid-state electrolyte (SSE). Tellurene is loaded onto a standard battery separator and reacted with lithium through single-pass mechanical rolling or transferred directly to SSE surface by pressing. State-of-the-art electrochemical performance is achieved, e.g., symmetric cell stable for 300 cycles (1800 h) at 1 mA cm -2 and 3 mAh cm -2 (25% DOD, 60 µm foil). Cryo-stage focused ion beam (Cryo-FIB) sectioning and Raman mapping demonstrate that the Li 2 Te–LiTe 3 bilayer impedes SSE decomposition. The unmodified Li–LPSCl interphase is electrochemically unstable with a geometrically heterogeneous reduction decomposition reaction front that extends deep into the SSE. Decomposition drives voiding in Li metal due to its high flux to the reaction front, as well as voiding in the SSE due to the associated volume changes. Analysis of cycled SSE found no evidence for pristine (unreacted) lithium metal filaments/dendrites, implying failure driven by decomposition phases with sufficient electrical conductivity that span electrolyte thickness. In conclusion, DFT calculations clarify thermodynamic stability, interfacial adhesion, and electronic transport properties of interphases, while mesoscale modeling examines interrelations between reaction front heterogeneity (SEI heterogeneity), current distribution, and localized chemo-mechanical stresses.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

An outlook into the flat land of 2D materials beyond graphene: synthesis, properties and device applications

Abstract The field of two-dimensional (2D) and layered materials continues to excite many researchers around the world who are eager to advance and innovate viable routes for large scale synthesis, doping and integration of monolayers and the development of unique characterization approaches for studying and harnessing exotic properties that will enable novel device applications. There has been a large interest in 2D materials beyond graphene, with particular emphasis on monoelemental materials (phosphorene, silicene, tellurene, etc. ), 2D compounds (MXenes, oxides, nitrides, carbides and chalcogenides), their alloys and layered van der Waals heterostructures. This is not only indicated by the significant increase in the number of peer reviewed publications each year in this area of research, but also by the surging number of conference sessions focusing on 2D materials beyond graphene. This Perspective article highlights some of the recent advances in the field from a diverse international community of theoretical and experimental researchers who participated in the symposium ‘Beyond Graphene 2D Materials—Synthesis, Properties and Device Applications’ at the Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall 2019 meeting.

McCreary, Amber (ORCID:0000000299885800)↗

Grain boundary structure of two-dimensional tellurium revealed by 4D STEM

The recent realization of 2D tellurium (tellurene) has allowed scientists to demonstrate an air-stable monoelemental van der Waals material with remarkable potential for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. The chiral-chain structure of ultrathin Te allows controllable electronic and optical properties due to the non-monotonic carrier mobility and an increase in electronic band-gap as the thickness is reduced. Scalable and accurate production of 2D Te-based functional devices will require detailed knowledge of structural defects and strain field distributions that can be linked to transport properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗