Ultrafast Negative Capacitance Transition for 2D Ferroelectric MoS2/Graphene Transistor.

Negative capacitance gives rise to subthreshold swing (SS) below the fundamental limit by efficient modulation of surface potential in transistors. While negative-capacitance transition is reported in polycrystalline Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 (PZT) and HfZrO2 (HZO) thin-films in few microseconds timescale, low SS is not persistent over a wide range of drain current when used instead of conventional dielectrics. In this work, the clear nano-second negative transition states in 2D single-crystal CuInP2S6 (CIPS) flakes have been demonstrated by an alternative fast-transient measurement technique. Further, integrating this ultrafast NC transition with the localized density of states of Dirac contacts and controlled charge transfer in the CIPS/channel (MoS2/graphene) a state-of-the-art device architecture, negative capacitance Dirac source drain field effect transistor (FET) is introduced. This yields an ultralow SS of 4.8 mV dec-1 with an average sub-10 SS across five decades with on-off ratio exceeding 107, by simultaneous improvement of transport and body factors in monolayer MoS2-based FET, outperforming all previous reports. This approach could pave the way to achieve ultralow-SS FETs for future high-speed and low-power electronics.

Optically active charge transfer in hybrids of Alq3 nanoparticles and MoS2 monolayer.

Organic/inorganic hybrid structures have been widely studied because of their enhanced physical and chemical properties. Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (1L-TMDs) and organic nanoparticles can provide a hybridization configuration between zero- and two-dimensional systems with the advantages of convenient preparation and strong interface interaction. Here, we present such a hybrid system made by dispersing π-conjugated organic (tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum(III)) (Alq3) nanoparticles (NPs) on 1L-MoS2. Hybrids of Alq3 NP/1L-MoS2 exhibited a two-fold increase in the photoluminescence of Alq3 NPs on 1L-MoS2 and the n-doping effect of 1L-MoS2, and these spectral and electronic modifications were attributed to the charge transfer between Alq3 NPs and 1L-MoS2. Our results suggested that a hybrid of organic NPs/1L-TMD can offer a convenient platform to study the interface interactions between organic and inorganic nano objects and to engineer optoelectronic devices with enhanced performance.

Electronic properties of embedded graphene: doped amorphous silicon/CVD graphene heterostructures.

Large-area graphene film is of great interest for a wide spectrum of electronic applications, such as field effect devices, displays, and solar cells, among many others. Here, we fabricated heterostructures composed of graphene (Gr) grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on copper substrate and transferred to SiO2/Si substrates, capped by n­ or p-type doped amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Using Raman scattering we show that despite the mechanical strain induced by the a-Si:H deposition, the structural integrity of the graphene is preserved. Moreover, Hall effect measurements directly on the embedded graphene show that the electronic properties of CVD graphene can be modulated according to the doping type of the a-Si:H as well as its phase i.e. amorphous or nanocrystalline. The sheet resistance varies from 360 Ω sq(-1) to 1260 Ω sq(-1) for the (p)-a-Si:H/Gr (n)-a-Si:H/Gr, respectively. We observed a temperature independent hole mobility of up to 1400 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) indicating that charge impurity is the principal mechanism limiting the transport in this heterostructure. We have demonstrated that embedding CVD graphene under a-Si:H is a viable route for large scale graphene based solar cells or display applications.

In-vitro cytotoxicity and cell uptake study of gelatin-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

The aim of this study was to modify the surfaces of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IOPs) with gelatin in order to reduce cytotoxicity and enhance cellular uptake. The gelatin-coated IOPs were characterized in terms of their functionalization, size, surface charge, morphology and crystalline structure using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (BIO-TEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The cytotoxicity of the gelatin-coated IOPs to human fibroblasts was assessed using an MTT-assay and was compared with uncoated IOPs. Similarly, the cellular uptake of the coated and uncoated IOPs was visualized using BIO-TEM and quantified using inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICPS). As shown by the Fourier emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and viability test, the massive uptake of uncoated IOPs lead to reduced viability. However, gelatin coating lead to increased viability and slow uptake without any visible distortion to the cell morphology.