Nonvolatile Memristive Effect in Few-Layer CrI3 Driven by Electrostatic Gating.

The potential of memristive devices for applications in nonvolatile memory and neuromorphic computing has sparked considerable interest, particularly in exploring memristive effects in two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials. However, the progress in developing nonvolatile, magnetic field-free memristive devices using 2D magnets has been limited. In this work, we report an electrostatic-gating-induced nonvolatile memristive effect in CrI3-based tunnel junctions. The few-layer CrI3-based tunnel junction manifests notable hysteresis in its tunneling resistance as a function of gate voltage. We further engineered a nonvolatile memristor using the CrI3 tunneling junction with low writing power and at zero magnetic field. We show that the hysteretic transport observed is not a result of trivial effects or inherent magnetic properties of CrI3. We propose a potential association between the memristive effect and the newly predicted ferroelectricity in CrI3 via gating-induced Jahn-Teller distortion. Our work illuminates the potential of 2D magnets in developing next-generation advanced computing technologies.

Topological Hall Effect in a Topological Insulator Interfaced with a Magnetic Insulator.

A topological insulator (TI) interfaced with a magnetic insulator (MI) may host an anomalous Hall effect (AHE), a quantum AHE, and a topological Hall effect (THE). Recent studies, however, suggest that coexisting magnetic phases in TI/MI heterostructures may result in an AHE-associated response that resembles a THE but in fact is not. This Letter reports a genuine THE in a TI/MI structure that has only one magnetic phase. The structure shows a THE in the temperature range of T = 2-3 K and an AHE at T = 80-300 K. Over T = 3-80 K, the two effects coexist but show opposite temperature dependencies. Control measurements, calculations, and simulations together suggest that the observed THE originates from skyrmions, rather than the coexistence of two AHE responses. The skyrmions are formed due to a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) at the interface; the DMI strength estimated is substantially higher than that in heavy metal-based systems.

Small energy gap revealed in CrBr3 by scanning tunneling spectroscopy.

CrBr3 is a layered van der Waals material with magnetic ordering down to the 2D limit. For decades, based on optical measurements, it is believed that the energy gap of CrBr3 is in the range of 1.68-2.1 eV. However, controversial results have indicated that the band gap of CrBr3 is possibly smaller than that. An unambiguous determination of the energy gap is critical to the correct interpretations of the experimental results of CrBr3. Here, we present the scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S) results of CrBr3 thin and thick flakes exfoliated onto highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to reveal the small energy gap (peak-to-peak energy gap to be 0.57 ± 0.04 eV; or the onset signal energy gap to be 0.29 ± 0.05 eV from dI/dV spectra). Atomic resolution topography images show the defect-free crystal structure and the dI/dV spectra exhibit multiple peak features measured at 77 K. The conduction band - valence band peak pairs in the multi-peak dI/dV spectrum agree very well with all reported optical transitions. STM topography images of mono- and bi-layer CrBr3 flakes exhibit edge degradation due to short air exposure (∼15 min) during sample transfer. The unambiguously determined small energy gap settles the controversy and is the key in better understanding CrBr3 and similar materials.

Room temperature d0 ferromagnetism in PbS films: nonuniform distribution of Pb vacancies.

Because of the importance of ferromagnetism at room temperature, we search for new materials that can exhibit a non-vanishing magnetic moment at room temperature and at the same time can be used in spintronics. The experimental results indicate that d0 ferromagnetism without any magnetic impurities takes place in PbS films made of close-packed lead sulfide nanoparticles of 30 nm. To explain the existence of the d0 ferromagnetism, we propose a model where various PbS bulk and surface configurations of Pb-vacancies are analyzed. The bulk configurations have a zero magnetic moment while the two surface configurations with Pb vacancies with the same non-vanishing magnetic moments and lowest ground state energies contribute to the total magnetization. Based on the experimental value of the saturation magnetization, 0.2 emu g-1, we have found that the calculated Pb vacancy concentration should be about 3.5%, which is close to typical experimental values. Besides being very important for applications, there is one feature of PbS d0 ferromagnetism that makes this material special for fundamental research: PbS ferromagnetism can exhibit topologically driven spatial magnetic moment distributions (e.g., magnetic skyrmions) due to large spin-orbit coupling.

Near-ultraviolet lateral photovoltaic effect in Fe3O4/3C-SiC Schottky junctions.

In this paper, we report a sensitive lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) in Fe3O4/3C-SiC Schottky junctions with a fast relaxation time at near-ultraviolet wavelengths. The rectifying behavior suggests that the large build-in electric field was formed in the Schottky junctions. This device has excellent position sensitivity as high as 67.8 mV mm-1 illuminated by a 405 nm laser. The optical relaxation time of the LPE is about 30 µs. The fast relaxation and high positional sensitivity of the LPE make the Fe3O4/3C-SiC junction a promising candidate for a wide range of ultraviolet/near-ultraviolet optoelectronic applications.

Tunneling current-controlled spin states in few-layer van der Waals magnets.

Effective control of magnetic phases in two-dimensional magnets would constitute crucial progress in spintronics, holding great potential for future computing technologies. Here, we report a new approach of leveraging tunneling current as a tool for controlling spin states in CrI3. We reveal that a tunneling current can deterministically switch between spin-parallel and spin-antiparallel states in few-layer CrI3, depending on the polarity and amplitude of the current. We propose a mechanism involving nonequilibrium spin accumulation in the graphene electrodes in contact with the CrI3 layers. We further demonstrate tunneling current-tunable stochastic switching between multiple spin states of the CrI3 tunnel devices, which goes beyond conventional bi-stable stochastic magnetic tunnel junctions and has not been documented in two-dimensional magnets. Our findings not only address the existing knowledge gap concerning the influence of tunneling currents in controlling the magnetism in two-dimensional magnets, but also unlock possibilities for energy-efficient probabilistic and neuromorphic computing.

UV-Vis-NIR luminescence properties and energy transfer mechanism of LiSrPO4:Eu2+, Pr3+ suitable for solar spectral convertor.

An efficient near-infrared (NIR) phosphor LiSrPO(4):Eu(2+), Pr(3+) is synthesized by solid-state reaction and systematically investigated using x-ray diffraction, diffuse reflection spectrum, photoluminescence spectra at room temperature and 3 K, and the decay curves. The UV-Vis-NIR energy transfer mechanism is proposed based on these results. The results demonstrate Eu(2+) can be an efficient sensitizer for harvesting UV photon and greatly enhancing the NIR emission of Pr(3+) between 960 and 1060 nm through efficient energy feeding by allowed 4f-5d absorption of Eu(2+) with high oscillator strength. Eu(2+)/Pr(3+) may be an efficient donor-acceptor pair as solar spectral converter for Si solar cells.

Pulsed laser deposition of CdSe Quantum dots on Zn2SnO4 nanowires and their photovoltaic applications.

In this work we report a physical deposition-based, one-step quantum dot (QD) synthesis and assembly on ternary metal oxide nanowires for photovoltaic applications. Typical solution-based synthesis of colloidal QDs for QD sensitized solar cells involves nontrivial ligand exchange processing and toxic wet chemicals, and the effect of the ligands on carrier transport has not been fully understood. In this research using pulsed laser deposition, CdSe QDs were coated on Zn(2)SnO(4) nanowires without ligand molecules, and the coverage could be controlled by adjusting the laser fluence. Growth of QDs in dense nanowire network structures was also achieved, and photovoltaic cells fabricated using this method exhibited promising device performance. This approach could be further applied for the assembly of QDs where ligand exchange is difficult and could possibly lead to reduced fabrication cost and improved device performance.

Controlling the Magneto-Optical Response in Ultrathin Films of EuO1-x via Interface Engineering with Ferroelectric BaTi2O5.

Utilizing pulsed laser deposition, a film of EuO1-x was deposited onto a Si(001) substrate with MgO buffer and compared to the same heterostructure with an additional BaTi2O5 thin film on top of the EuO1-x surface. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates the films crystallize into a preferred EuO(111) orientation; it also reveals the clear presence of EuSi2, which suggests Si or Eu diffuses across the MgO buffer layer. EuO1-x films exhibit a ferromagnetic (FM) signature and temperature-dependent exchange bias, indicated by MOKE measurements, suggesting the presence of a magnetic order well above the EuO Curie temperature with possible origins in charge carrier density near the interface. In comparison, an antiferromagnetic character persists well above the EuO Curie temperature of 69 K and the enhanced Curie temperature of 150 K for BaTi2O5 films grown on the EuO1-x films. The antiferromagnetic behavior is not seen in thicker EuO1-x thin films when integrated with other ferroelectric (FE) phases of the BaO-TiO2 system, suggesting an origin in the perturbed charge population at the BaTi2O5/EuO1-x interface.

Study on the effects of 5d energy locations of Ce³âº ions on NIR quantum cutting process in Y2SiO5: Ce³âº, Yb³âº.

The effects of the 5d energy locations of Ce³âº centers on the NIR quantum cutting process were studied in Y2SiO5 with two different substitutional Y³âº lattice sites for Ce³âº and Yb³âº. Powder XRD and Rietveld refinement were used to characterize phase purity, crystal structure, lattice parameters and occupation fractions of Y2₋x-yCexYbySiO5 (x = 0.002 and 0.3, y = 0-0.2). PLE and PL spectra show that both kinds of Ce³âº centers in Y2x-yCexYbySiO5 can cooperatively transfer energy to Yb³âº-Yb³âº ions pair. The dependence of the integrated emission intensities of Ce³âº and Yb³âº, decay lifetime (τ) of Ce³âº, nonradiative energy transfer rate (KCe→Yb), cooperative energy transfer efficiency (ηCET) and quantum efficiency (ηQE) on the concentration of Yb³âº ions were studied in details. More importantly, these results demonstrate that the 5d energy locations of Ce³âº ions have a great influence on NIR quantum cutting process in Ce³âº-Yb³âº system: the closer they are to twice the absorption energy (~20000 cm⁻¹) of Yb³âº, the higher the cooperative energy transfer efficiency from the lowest 5d excited state of Ce³âº to the Yb³âº-Yb³âº ions pair.

Synthesis of porous zinc gallate prisms composed of highly oriented nanoparticles by an in situ conversion reaction.

Porous ZnGa(2)O(4) prisms assembled by highly oriented nanoparticles have been fabricated by an in situ chemical conversion approach. We report, for the first time, that a solid α-Ga(2)O(3) precursor can be directly converted into ZnGa(2)O(4) rather than through the intermediate GaOOH. Based on a detailed study of the evolution of ZnGa(2)O(4) prisms, a growth mechanism is proposed for the in situ conversion reaction. During this conversion process, the precursor morphology can be highly retained, which is attributed to the similar atomic arrangements of the Ga and O atoms and excellent matching of the lattice spacing between the α-Ga(2)O(3) and ZnGa(2)O(4) prisms. The direct reaction between the precursor α-Ga(2)O(3) and Zn(2+) ions is more efficient than that between the byproduct GaOOH and Zn(2+) ions. Moreover, the photoluminescent color of the ZnGa(2)O(4) phosphor can be tuned by doping with Mn(2+) ions. Efficient energy transfer (ET) from the host lattice to the Mn(2+) centers is observed, whereas ET from the defects to the Mn(2+) ions is prohibited. The fabricated ZnGa(2)O(4) products have potential in the field of display applications.

pH- and dopant-dependent CdMoO4:Mn nanocrystals: luminescence and magnetic properties.

CdMoO(4):Mn nanocrystals with a tetragonal crystal structure were prepared by aqueous coprecipitation method at a low temperature of 2 °C under different pH values. The size of the CdMoO(4):Mn nanocrystals of spherical morphology increases with the Mn dopant concentration from 35 to 55 nm for pH = 4. The morphology could be tuned from nanocrystals to microstructures consisting of smaller nanoparticles by the Mn concentration when the pH value of the precursor was increased to 8. The thermal stability of the luminescence and magnetic properties of the Mn-doped samples also depend on the pH and the doping level. The effects of the pH and dopant on the luminescence and magnetic properties, including magnetic susceptibility and electron paramagnetic resonance, were investigated. This approach contributes to better understanding of aqueous chemistry methods to control the growth of nanocrystals.

Optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) as a sensor for thin film and quantum dot corrosion.

Optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) is usually applied as a biosensor system to the sorption-desorption of proteins to waveguide surfaces. Here, we show that OWLS can be used to monitor the quality of oxide thin film materials and of coatings of pulsed laser deposition synthesized CdSe quantum dots (QDs) intended for solar energy applications. In addition to changes in data treatment and experimental procedure, oxide- or QD-coated waveguide sensors must be synthesized. We synthesized zinc stannate (Zn(2)SnO(4)) coated (Si,Ti)O(2) waveguide sensors, and used OWLS to monitor the relative mass of the film over time. Films lost mass over time, though at different rates due to variation in fluid flow and its physical effect on removal of film material. The Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique was used to deposit CdSe QD coatings on waveguides. Sensors exposed to pH 2 solution lost mass over time in an expected, roughly exponential manner. Sensors at pH 10, in contrast, were stable over time. Results were confirmed with atomic force microscopy imaging. Limiting factors in the use of OWLS in this manner include limitations on the annealing temperature that maybe used to synthesize the oxide film, and limitations on the thickness of the film to be studied. Nevertheless, the technique overcomes a number of difficulties in monitoring the quality of thin films in-situ in liquid environments.

Large magnetoelectric resistance in the topological Dirac semimetal α-Sn.

The spin-momentum locking of surface states in topological materials can produce a resistance that scales linearly with magnetic and electric fields. Such a bilinear magnetoelectric resistance (BMER) effect offers a new approach for information reading and field sensing applications, but the effects demonstrated so far are too weak or for low temperatures. This article reports the first observation of BMER effects in topological Dirac semimetals; the BMER responses were measured at room temperature and were substantially stronger than those reported previously. The experiments used topological Dirac semimetal α-Sn thin films grown on silicon substrates. The films showed BMER responses that are 106 times larger than previously measured at room temperature and are also larger than those previously obtained at low temperatures. These results represent a major advance toward realistic BMER applications. Significantly, the data also yield the first characterization of three-dimensional Fermi-level spin texture of topological surface states in α-Sn.

Two-Dimensional 2M-WS2 Nanolayers for Superconductivity.

Recently, a newly discovered VIB group transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material, 2M-WS2, has attracted extensive attention due to its interesting physical properties such as topological superconductivity, nodeless superconductivity, and anisotropic Majorana bound states. However, the techniques to grow high-quality 2M-WS2 bulk crystals and the study of their physical properties at the nanometer scale are still limited. In this work, we report a new route to grow high-quality 2M-WS2 single crystals and the observation of superconductivity in its thin layers. The crystal structure of the as-grown 2M-WS2 crystals was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The chemical composition of the 2M-WS2 crystals was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. At 77 K, we observed the spatial variation of the local tunneling conductance (dI/dV) of the 2M-WS2 thin flakes by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). Our low temperature transport measurements demonstrate clear signatures of superconductivity of a 25 nm-thick 2M-WS2 flake with a critical temperature (T C) of ∼8.5 K and an upper critical field of ∼2.5 T at T = 1.5 K. Our work may pave new opportunities in studying the topological superconductivity at the atomic scale in simple 2D TMD materials.

Switching of a Magnet by Spin-Orbit Torque from a Topological Dirac Semimetal.

Recent experiments show that topological surface states (TSS) in topological insulators (TI) can be exploited to manipulate magnetic ordering in ferromagnets. In principle, TSS should also exist for other topological materials, but it remains unexplored as to whether such states can also be utilized to manipulate ferromagnets. Herein, current-induced magnetization switching enabled by TSS in a non-TI topological material, namely, a topological Dirac semimetal α-Sn, is reported. The experiments use an α-Sn/Ag/CoFeB trilayer structure. The magnetization in the CoFeB layer can be switched by a charge current at room temperature, without an external magnetic field. The data show that the switching is driven by the TSS of the α-Sn layer, rather than spin-orbit coupling in the bulk of the α-Sn layer or current-produced heating. The switching efficiency is as high as in TI systems. This shows that the topological Dirac semimetal α-Sn is as promising as TI materials in terms of spintronic applications.

Colossal positive Seebeck coefficient and low thermal conductivity in reduced TiO(2).

Reduced (oxygen deficient) single crystal TiO(2) exhibits a very large positive Seebeck coefficient S at low temperature. S as large as 60 000 µV K(-1) was observed near 10 K for the least reduced sample, which gives a thermoelectric power factor of 170 µW K(-2) cm(-1). This value is about four times higher than the power factor of Bi(2)Te(3)-based materials near room temperature. As the temperature increases the Seebeck coefficient becomes negative. The magnitude of the room temperature Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity decrease with the reduction of the samples. The thermal conductivity is as low as 0.83 W K(-1) m(-1) for the heavily reduced sample at 390 K due to phonon scattering by defect planes. The colossal Seebeck coefficient found in the materials is discussed in terms of the phonon drag of the holes.

Comparison of n-type Gd(2)O(3) and Gd-doped HfO(2).

Gd(2)O(3) and Gd-doped HfO(2) films were deposited on p-type silicon substrates in a reducing atmosphere. Gd 4f photoexcitation peaks at roughly 7 and 5 eV below the valence band maximum have been identified using the resonant photoemission of Gd(2)O(3) and Gd-doped HfO(2) films, respectively. In the case of Gd(2)O(3), strong hybridization with the O 2p band is demonstrated, and there is evidence that the Gd 4f weighted band exhibits dispersion in the bulk band structure. The rectifying (diode-like) properties of Gd-doped HfO(2)-silicon and Gd(2)O(3)-silicon heterojunctions are demonstrated.

Magnetization switching using topological surface states.

Topological surface states (TSSs) in a topological insulator are expected to be able to produce a spin-orbit torque that can switch a neighboring ferromagnet. This effect may be absent if the ferromagnet is conductive because it can completely suppress the TSSs, but it should be present if the ferromagnet is insulating. This study reports TSS-induced switching in a bilayer consisting of a topological insulator Bi2Se3 and an insulating ferromagnet BaFe12O19. A charge current in Bi2Se3 can switch the magnetization in BaFe12O19 up and down. When the magnetization is switched by a field, a current in Bi2Se3 can reduce the switching field by ~4000 Oe. The switching efficiency at 3 K is 300 times higher than at room temperature; it is ~30 times higher than in Pt/BaFe12O19. These strong effects originate from the presence of more pronounced TSSs at low temperatures due to enhanced surface conductivity and reduced bulk conductivity.

Magnetic properties and photovoltaic applications of ZnO:Mn nanocrystals.

A simple and large-scale synthetic method of Mn doped ZnO (ZnO:Mn) was developed in this work. ZnO:Mn nanocrystals with hexagonal structure were prepared by thermal decomposition of zinc acetate and manganese acetate in the presence of oleylamine and oleic acid with different temperatures, ligand ratios, and Mn doping concentrations. The particle size (47-375 nm) and morphology (hexagonal nanopyramid, hexagonal nanodisk and irregular nanospheres) of ZnO:Mn nanocrystals can be controlled by the ratio of capping ligand, reaction temperature, reaction time and Mn doping concentration. The corresponding optical and magnetic properties were systemically studied and compared. All samples were found to be paramagnetic with antiferromagnetic (AFM) exchange interactions between the Mn moments in the ZnO lattice, which can be affected by the reaction conditions. The quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) were fabricated based on ZnO:Mn nanocrystals and CdS quantum dots, and the device performance affected by Mn doping concentration was also studied and compared.