Direct Observation of the Epitaxial Growth of Bismuth Telluride Topological Insulators from One-Dimensional Heterostructured Nanowires.

As extraordinary topological insulators, 2D bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanosheets have been synthesized and controlled with a few-layer structure by a facile and fast solvothermal process. The detail-oriented growth evolution of 2D Bi2Te3 in an ethylene glycol reducing solution is discovered and recorded for direct observation of the liquid-solid interactions through the use of environmental SEM. At the initial synthesis stage, Te nanowires are rapidly synthesized and observed in solution. In the next stage, Bi nanoclusters slowly adhere to the Te nanowires and react to form hierarchical Te-Bi2Te3 nanostructured materials. Additionally, the Te nanowires shorten in-plane in an orderly manner, while the Bi2Te3 nanosheets exhibit directional out-of-plane epitaxial growth. In the last procedure, Bi2Te3 nanosheets with a clear hexagonal appearance can be largely obtained. Experiments performed under these rigorous conditions require careful consideration of the temperature, time, and alkaline environment for each reaction process. In addition, the yield of a wider and thinner Bi2Te3 nanosheet is synthesized by manipulating the crystal growth with an optimal alkaline concentration, which is found through statistical analysis of the AFM results. In the UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy results, the main peak in the spectrum tends to redshift, while the other peak in the ultraviolet range decreases during Bi2Te3 nanosheet synthesis, facilitating a rapid understanding of the trends in the morphological evolution of the Bi2Te3 materials in solution. By rationalizing the above observations, we are the first to report the success of environmental SEM, HAADF-STEM, and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy for confirming the Bi2Te3 nanosheet formation mechanism and the physical properties in the solvent media. This research promotes the future optimization of promising Bi2Te3 nanomaterials that can be used in the fabrication of thermoelectric and topological components.

Filling the gap between topological insulator nanomaterials and triboelectric nanogenerators.

Reliable energy modules and higher-sensitivity, higher-density, lower-powered sensing systems are constantly required to develop wearable electronics and the Internet of Things technology. As an emerging technology, triboelectric nanogenerators have been potentially guiding the landscape of sustainable power units and energy-efficient sensors. However, the existing triboelectric series is primarily populated by polymers and rubbers, limiting triboelectric sensing plasticity to some extent owing to their stiff surface electronic structures. To enrich the current triboelectric group, we explore the triboelectric properties of the topological insulator nanofilm by Kelvin probe force microscopy and reveal its relatively positive electrification charging performance. Both the larger surface potential difference and the conductive surface states of the nanofilms synergistically improve the charge transfer behavior between the selected triboelectric media, endowing the topological insulator-based triboelectric nanogenerator with considerable output performance. Besides serving as a wearable power source, the ultra-compact device array demonstrates innovative system-level sensing capabilities, including precise monitoring of dynamic objects and real-time signal control at the human-machine interface. This work fills the blank between topological quantum matters and triboelectric nanogenerators and, more importantly, exploits the significant potential of topological insulator nanofilms for self-powered flexible/wearable electronics and scalable sensing technologies.