Gene Mutations in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: Advances in Treatment and Mechanism Research.

Although gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) has been reported in patients of all ages, its diagnosis is more common in elders. The two most common types of mutation, receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor a (PDGFRA) mutations, hold about 75 and 15% of GISTs cases, respectively. Tumors without KIT or PDGFRA mutations are known as wild type (WT)-GISTs, which takes up for 15% of all cases. WT-GISTs have other genetic alterations, including mutations of the succinate dehydrogenase and serine-threonine protein kinase BRAF and neurofibromatosis type 1. Other GISTs without any of the above genetic mutations are named "quadruple WT" GISTs. More types of rare mutations are being reported. These mutations or gene fusions were initially thought to be mutually exclusive in primary GISTs, but recently it has been reported that some of these rare mutations coexist with KIT or PDGFRA mutations. The treatment and management differ according to molecular subtypes of GISTs. Especially for patients with late-stage tumors, developing a personalized chemotherapy regimen based on mutation status is of great help to improve patient survival and quality of life. At present, imatinib mesylate is an effective first-line drug for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic recurrent GISTs, but how to overcome drug resistance is still an important clinical problem. The effectiveness of other drugs is being further evaluated. The progress in the study of relevant mechanisms also provides the possibility to develop new targets or new drugs.

Two-Dimensional Ultrathin Fe3Sn2 Kagome Metal with Defect-Dependent Magnetic Property.

Two-dimensional (2D) Fe3Sn2, which is a room-temperature ferromagnetic kagome metal, has potential applications in spintronic devices. However, the systematic synthesis and magnetic study of 2D Fe3Sn2 single crystals have rarely been reported. Here we have synthesized 2D hexagonal and triangular Fe3Sn2 nanosheets by controlling the amount of FeCl2 precursors in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. It is found that the hexagonal Fe3Sn2 nanosheets exist with Fe vacancy defects and show no obvious coercivity. While the triangular Fe3Sn2 nanosheet has obvious hysteresis loops at room temperature, its coercivity first increases and then remains stable with an increase in temperature, which should result from the competition of the thermal activation mechanism and spin direction rotation mechanism. A first-principles calculation study shows that the Fe vacancy defects in Fe3Sn2 can increase the distances between Fe atoms and weaken the ferromagnetism of Fe3Sn2. The resulting 2D Fe3Sn2 nanosheets provide a new choice for spintronic devices.

Reconfigurable Ag/HfO2/NiO/Pt Memristors with Stable Synchronous Synaptic and Neuronal Functions for Renewable Homogeneous Neuromorphic Computing System.

Artificial synapses and bionic neurons offer great potential in highly efficient computing paradigms. However, complex requirements for specific electronic devices in neuromorphic computing have made memristors face the challenge of process simplification and universality. Herein, reconfigurable Ag/HfO2/NiO/Pt memristors are designed for feasible switching between volatile and nonvolatile modes by compliance current controlled Ag filaments, which enables stable and reconfigurable synaptic and neuronal functions. A neuromorphic computing system effectively replicates the biological synaptic weight alteration and continuously accomplishes excitation and reset of artificial neurons, which consist of bionic synapses and artificial neurons based on isotype Ag/HfO2/NiO/Pt memristors. This reconfigurable electrical performance of the Ag/HfO2/NiO/Pt memristors takes advantage of simplified hardware design and delivers integrated circuits with high density, which exhibits great potency for future neural networks.

Compositional Engineering of Cu-Doped SnO Film for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Technology.

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS)-based complementary thin-film transistor (TFT) circuits have broad application prospects in large-scale flexible electronics. To simplify circuit design and increase integration density, basic complementary circuits require both p- and n-channel transistors based on an individual semiconductor. However, until now, no MOSs that can simultaneously show p- and n-type conduction behavior have been reported. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that Cu-doped SnO (Cu:SnO) with HfO2 capping can be employed for high-performance p- and n-channel TFTs. The interstitial Cu+ can induce an n-doping effect while restraining electron-electron scatterings by removing conduction band minimum degeneracy. As a result, the Cu3 atom %:SnO TFTs exhibit a record high electron mobility of 43.8 cm2 V-1 s-1. Meanwhile, the p-channel devices show an ultrahigh hole mobility of 2.4 cm2 V-1 s-1. Flexible complementary logics are then established, including an inverter, NAND gates, and NOR gates. Impressively, the inverter exhibits an ultrahigh gain of 302.4 and excellent operational stability and bending reliability.

Controllable van der Waals gaps by water adsorption.

Van der Waals (vdW) gaps with ångström-scale heights can confine molecules or ions to an ultimately small scale, providing an alternative way to tune material properties and explore microscopic phenomena. Modulation of the height of vdW gaps between two-dimensional (2D) materials is challenging due to the vdW interaction. Here we report a general approach to control the vdW gap by preadsorption of water molecules on the material surface. By controlling the saturation vapour pressure of water vapour, we can precisely control the adsorption level of water molecules and vary the height of the vdW gaps of MoS2 homojunctions from 5.5 Å to 53.6 Å. This technique can be further applied to other homo- and heterojunctions, constructing controlled vdW gaps in 2D artificial superlattices and in 2D/3D and 3D/3D heterojunctions. Engineering the vdW gap has great practical potential to modulate the device performance, as evidenced by the vdW-gap-dependent diode characteristics of the MoS2/gap/MoS2 junction. Our work introduces a general strategy of molecular preadsorption that can extend to various precursors, creating more tunability and variability in vdW material systems.

Ultimate Limit in Optoelectronic Performances of Monolayer WSe2 Sloping-Channel Transistors.

Atomically thin monolayer two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with natural immunity to short channel effects are promising candidates for sub-10 nm very large-scale integration technologies. Herein, the ultimate limit in optoelectronic performances of monolayer WSe2 field-effect transistors (FETs) is examined by constructing a sloping channel down to 6 nm. Using a simple scaling method compatible with current micro/nanofabrication technologies, we achieve a record high saturation current up to 1.3 mA/µm at room temperature, surpassing any reported monolayer 2D semiconductor transistors. Meanwhile, quasi-ballistic transport in WSe2 FETs is first demonstrated; the extracted high saturation velocity of 4.2 × 106 cm/s makes it suitable for extremely sensitive photodetectors. Furthermore, the photoresponse speed can be improved by reducing channel length due to an electric field-assisted detrapping process of photogenerated carriers in localized states. As a result, the sloping-channel device exhibits a faster response, higher detectivity, and additional polarization resolution ability compared to planar micrometer-scale devices.

Reversible Thermochromic Microcapsules and Their Applications in Anticounterfeiting.

The common, commercial reversible thermochromic (RT) melamine-formaldehyde resin microcapsules containing formaldehyde are very harmful to human health. To address this issue, we successfully prepared a novel formaldehyde-free microcapsule via interfacial polymerization using RT compositions as the core and poly(urethane-urea) (PUU) as the shell. The core material consisted of a color former (crystal violet lactone), a developer (bisphenol AF), and a solvent (methyl stearate). To optimize the synthesis of the microcapsules, an L9 (34) orthogonal design and single-factor experiments were employed to analyze the effects of four factors (N3300-to-L75 shell material mass ratio, core-to-shell material mass ratio, emulsifier concentration, and shear rate during emulsification) on the encapsulation efficiency. The results showed that the optimal parameter values were as follows: a shear rate of 2500 rpm, N3300-to-L75 shell material mass ratio of 1:4, core-to-shell material mass ratio of 11:5, and emulsifier concentration of 3.5%. The influence of the shear rate on the particle size and distribution, surface morphology, dispersibility, and reversible thermochromic properties of the microcapsules was investigated. Furthermore, analyses on the phase-change characteristics, thermal stability, ultraviolet aging, and solvent and acid-base resistances of the microcapsules were conducted systematically. Finally, a reversible thermochromic mark containing the RTPUU microcapsules was designed and fabricated, which could be used against falsification. Moreover, these RTPUU microcapsules can be potentially used for anticounterfeiting applications.

Interlayer Transition Induced Infrared Response in ReS2/2D Perovskite van der Waals Heterostructure Photodetector.

The emerging Ruddlesden-Popper two-dimensional perovskite (2D PVK) has recently joined the family of 2D semiconductors as a potential competitor for building van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures in future optoelectronics. However, to date, most of the reported heterostructures based on 2D PVKs suffer from poor spectral response that is caused by intrinsic wide bandgap of constituting materials. Herein, a direct heterointerface bandgap (∼0.4 eV) between 2D PVK and ReS2 is demonstrated. The strong interlayer coupling reduces the energy interval at the heterojunction region so that the heterostructure shows high sensitivity with the spectral response expanding to 2000 nm. The large type-II band offsets exceeding 1.1 eV ensure fast photogenerated carriers separation at the heterointerface. When this heterostructure is used as a self-driven photodetector, it exhibits a record high detectivity up to 1.8 × 1014 Jones, surpassing any reported 2D self-driven devices, and an impressive external quantum efficiency of 68%.

Ultra-Steep-Slope High-Gain MoS2 Transistors with Atomic Threshold-Switching Gate.

The fundamental Boltzmann limitation dictates the ultimate limit of subthreshold swing (SS) to be 60 mV dec-1 , which prevents the continued scaling of supply voltage. With atomically thin body, 2D semiconductors provide new possibilities for advanced low-power electronics. Herein, ultra-steep-slope MoS2 resistive-gate field-effect transistors (RG-FETs) by integrating atomic-scale-resistive filamentary with conventional MoS2 transistors, demonstrating an ultra-low SS below 1 mV dec-1 at room temperature are reported. The abrupt resistance transition of the nanoscale-resistive filamentary ensures dramatic change in gate potential, and switches the device on and off, leading to ultra-steep SS. Simultaneously, RG-FETs demonstrate a high on/off ratio of 2.76 × 107 with superior reproducibility and reliability. With the ultra-steep SS, the RG-FETs can be readily employed to construct logic inverter with an ultra-high gain ≈2000, indicating exciting potential for future low-power electronics and monolithic integration.

Flexible SnO Optoelectronic Memory Based on Light-Dependent Ionic Migration in Ruddlesden-Popper Perovskite.

Nonvolatile optoelectronic memories based on organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have appeared as powerful candidates for next-generation soft electronics. Here, ambipolar SnO transistor-based nonvolatile memories with multibit memory behavior (11 storage states, 120 nC state-1) and ultralong retention time (>105 s) are demonstrated for which an Al2O3/two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite (2D PVK) heterostructure dielectric architecture is employed. The unique storage features are attributed to suppressed gate leakage by Al2O3 layer and hopping-like ionic transport in 2D PVK with varying activation energy under different light intensities. The photoinduced field-effect mechanism enables top-gated transistor operation under illumination, which would not be achieved under dark. As a result, the device exhibits remarkable photoresponsive characteristics, including ultrahigh specific detectivity (2.7 × 1015 Jones) and broadband spectrum distinction capacity (375-1064 nm). This study offers valuable insight on the PVK-based dielectric engineering for information storage and paves the way toward multilevel broadband-response optoelectronic memories.

Construct interesting CuS/TiO2 architectures for effective removal of Cr(VI) in simulated wastewater via the strong synergistic adsorption and photocatalytic process.

Most of the reduction processes for Cr (VI) removal tend to be available only at the acidic condition and the capable extent of pH is limited. Here, we developed a facile strategy for constructing CuS/TiO2 architectures via a facile precipitation process. The as-prepared urchin-like CuS microspheres possessed hierarchical/large porous structure and unique electrical structure, which provided a strong ability to capture the Cr(VI) ions in water. Once CuS microspheres were combined with TiO2 crystals (P25), a surprised high removal efficiency for Cr(VI) was obtained. With optimal molar ratio of CuS:TiO2 (0.72:1), 4.4 and 1.3 times in Cr(VI) removal rate were obtained with respect to pure TiO2 and CuS. The high removal efficiency was induced by the distinct synergistic role of strong adsorption and photocatalytic reduction originated from unique electrical structure in CuS/TiO2 hetero-structure. Moreover, these novel CuS/TiO2 architectures possess promising application for Cr6+ effluents remediation in a wide range of pH and with co-existing anions and cations.

Hysteresis-free MoS2 metal semiconductor field-effect transistors with van der Waals Schottky junction.

Hysteresis-free and steep subthreshold swing (SS) are essential for low-power reliable electronics. Herein, MoS2 metal semiconductor field-effect transistors are fabricated with GeSe/MoS2 van der Waals Schottky junction as a local gate, in which the rectification behavior of the heterojunction offers the modulation of channel carriers. The trap-free gate interface enables the hysteresis-free characteristics of the transistors, and promises an ideal SS of 64 mV/dec at room temperature. All the devices operate with a low threshold voltage less than -1 V with desirable saturation behavior. An OR logic gate is constructed with the dual-gated MoS2 transistors by varying the back and top gate voltage. The strategy present here is promising for the design of low-power digital electronics based on 2D materials.

High-current MoS2 transistors with non-planar gate configuration.

The ever-decreasing size of transistors requires effectively electrostatic control over ultra-thin semiconductor body. Rational design of the gate configuration can fully persevere the intrinsic property of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors. Here we design and demonstrate a 2D MoS2 transistor with omega-shaped gate, in which the local gate coupling is enhanced by the non-planar geometry. The omega-shaped non-planar transistors exhibit a high current of 0.89 A/µm and transconductance of 32.7 µS/µm. The high performance and desirable current saturation promise the construction of robust logic gate. The inverters show a voltage gain of 26.6 and an ideal total margin nearly 89%. We also assemble NOT-AND (NAND) gate on an individual MoS2 flake, and the constructed NAND gate demonstrates the universal functionality of the transistors as well. This work provides an alternative strategy to fully take the advantages of 2D materials for high-performance field-effect transistors.

Recent advances in long-term stable black phosphorus transistors.

Two-dimensional black phosphorus (BP) presents extensive exciting properties attributed to the high mobility and non-dangling bonds uniform surface with simultaneously obtained atomically ultrathin body and offer opportunities beyond the traditional materials. BP has thus emerged as a unique material in the post-silicon era for low-power electronics and photo-electronics. Tremendous efforts have been invested in fully developing the extreme potentiality of BP for future nanoelectronics. However, the accompanying challenges, especially the poor stability that originates from the active surface, in fabricating large-area BP transistors with comparable electrical performance to silicon electronics prevent their practical application. Herein, we review the progress of recent works that demonstrated the feasibility of enhancing the stability of BP electronics, and identify the opportunities and challenges in developing BP as atomically thin semiconductors for next-generation nanoelectronics.

Substantially Improving Device Performance of All-Inorganic Perovskite-Based Phototransistors via Indium Tin Oxide Nanowire Incorporation.

All-inorganic halide perovskites (IHPs) have attracted enormous attention due to their intrinsically high optical absorption coefficient and superior ambient stabilities. However, the photosensitivity of IHP-based photodetectors is still restricted by their poor conductivities. Here, a facile design of hybrid phototransistors based on the CsPbBr3 thin film and indium tin oxide (ITO) nanowires (NWs) integrated into a InGaZnO channel in order to achieve both high photoresponsivity and fast response is reported. The metallic ITO NWs are employed as electron pumps and expressways to efficiently extract photocarriers from CsPbBr3 and inject electrons into InGaZnO. The obtained device exhibits the outstanding responsivity of 4.9 × 106 A W-1 , which is about 100-fold better than the previous best results of CsPbBr3 -based photodetectors, together with the fast response (0.45/0.55 s), long-term stability (200 h in ambient), and excellent mechanical flexibility. By operating the phototransistor in the depletion regime, an ultrahigh specific detectivity up to 7.6 × 1013 Jones is achieved. More importantly, the optimized spin-coating manufacturing process is highly beneficial for achieving uniform InGaZnO-ITO/perovskite hybrid films for high-performance flexible detector arrays. All these results can not only indicate the potential of these hybrid phototransistors but also provide a valuable insight into the design of hybrid material systems for high-performance photodetection.

Flexible Quasi-2D Perovskite/IGZO Phototransistors for Ultrasensitive and Broadband Photodetection.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (PVKs) have recently emerged as attractive materials for photodetectors. However, the poor stability and low electrical conductivity still restrict their practical utilization. Owing to the quantum-well feature of two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden-Popper PVKs (2D PVKs), a promising quasi-2D PVK/indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) heterostructure phototransistor can be designed. By using a simple ligand-exchange spin-coating method, quasi-2D PVK fabricated on flexible substrates exhibits a desirable type-II energy band alignment, which facilitates effective spatial separation of photoexcited carriers. The device exhibits excellent photoresponsivity values of >105 A W-1 at 457 nm, and broadband photoresponse (457-1064 nm). By operating the device in the depletion regime, the specific detectivity is found to be 5.1 × 1016 Jones, which is the record high value among all PVK-based photodetectors reported to date. Due to the resistive hopping barrier in the quasi-2D PVK, the device can also work as an optoelectronic memory for near-infrared information storage. More importantly, the easy manufacturing process is highly beneficial, enabling large-scale and uniform quasi-2D PVK/IGZO hybrid films for detector arrays with outstanding ambient and operation stabilities. All these findings demonstrate the device architecture here provides a rational avenue to the design of next-generation flexible photodetectors with unprecedented sensitivity.

Exploring and suppressing the kink effect of black phosphorus field-effect transistors operating in the saturation regime.

With continuous device scaling, avalanche breakdown in two-dimensional (2D) transistors severely degrades device output characteristics and overall reliability. It is highly desirable to understand the origin of such electrical breakdown for exploring high-performance 2D transistors. Here, we report an anomalous increase in the drain currents of black phosphorus (BP)-based transistors operating in the saturation regime. Through the comprehensive investigation of various channel thicknesses, channel lengths and operating temperatures, such novel behavior is attributed to the kink effect originating from impact ionization and the related potential shift inside the channel, which is further confirmed by device numerical simulations. Furthermore, nitrogen plasma treatment is carried out to eliminate the current anomalous increase and suppress the kink effect with improved saturation current. This work not only sheds light on the understanding of carrier transport within BP transistors, but also could open up a new avenue for achieving high-performance and reliable electronic devices based on 2D materials.

Perovskite/Black Phosphorus/MoS2 Photogate Reversed Photodiodes with Ultrahigh Light On/Off Ratio and Fast Response.

As compared with epitaxial semiconductor devices, two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures offer alternative facile platforms for many optoelectronic devices. Among them, photovoltaic based photodetectors can give fast response, while the photogate devices can lead to high responsivity. Here, we report a 2D photogate photodiode, which combines the benefits of 2D black phosphorus/MoS2 photodiodes with the emerging potential of perovskite, to achieve both fast response and high responsivity. This device architecture is constructed based on the fast photovoltaic operation together with the high-gain photogating effect. Under reverse bias condition, the device exhibits high responsivity (11 A/W), impressive detectivity (1.3 × 1012 Jones), fast response (150/240 µs), and low dark current (3 × 10-11 A). All these results are already much better in nearly all aspects of performance than the previously reported 2D photodiodes operating in reverse bias, achieving the optimal balance between all figure-of-merits. Importantly, with a zero bias, the device can also yield high detectivity (3 × 1011 Jones), ultrahigh light on/off ratio (3 × 107), and extremely high external quantum efficiency (80%). This device architecture thus has a promise for high-efficiency photodetection and photovoltaic energy conversion.

High-Performance Photoinduced Memory with Ultrafast Charge Transfer Based on MoS2 /SWCNTs Network Van Der Waals Heterostructure.

Photoinduced memory devices with fast program/erase operations are crucial for modern communication technology, especially for high-throughput data storage and transfer. Although some photoinduced memories based on 2D materials have already demonstrated desirable performance, the program/erase speed is still limited to hundreds of micro-seconds. A high-speed photoinduced memory based on MoS2 /single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) network mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructure is demonstrated here. An intrinsic ultrafast charge transfer occurs at the heterostructure interface between MoS2 and SWCNTs (below 50 fs), therefore enabling a record program/erase speed of ≈32/0.4 ms, which is faster than that of the previous reports. Furthermore, benefiting from the unique device structure and material properties, while achieving high-speed program/erase operation, the device can simultaneously obtain high program/erase ratio (≈106 ), appropriate storage time (≈103  s), record-breaking detectivity (≈1016  Jones) and multibit storage capacity with a simple program/erase operation. It even has a potential application as a flexible optoelectronic device. Therefore, the designed concept here opens an avenue for high-throughput fast data communications.

Sub-kT/q switching in In2O3 nanowire negative capacitance field-effect transistors.

Limited by the Boltzmann distribution of electrons, the sub-threshold swing (SS) of conventional MOSFETs cannot be less than 60 mV dec-1. This limitation hinders the reduction of power dissipation of the devices. Herein, we present high-performance In2O3 nanowire (NW) negative capacitance field-effect transistors (NC-FETs) by introducing a ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) layer in a gate dielectric stack. The fabricated devices exhibit excellent gate modulation with a high saturation current density of 550 µA µm-1 and an outstanding SS value less than 60 mV dec-1 for over 4 decades of channel current. The assembled inverter circuit can demonstrate an impressive voltage gain of 25 and a cut-off frequency of over 10 MHz. By utilizing the self-aligned fabrication scheme, the device can be ultimately scaled down to below 100 nm channel length. The devices with 200 nm channel length exhibit the best performances, in which a high on/off current ratio of >107, a large output current density of 960 µA µm-1 and a small SS value of 42 mV dec-1 are obtained at the same time. All these would not only evidently demonstrate the potency of NW NC-FETs to break through the Boltzmann limit in nanoelectronics, but also open up a new avenue to low-power transistors for portable products.