Electronic properties and circuit applications of networks of electrochemically exfoliated 2D nanosheets.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41073462.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-64100-y and PMC identifier 12514219.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
High aspect-ratio 2D materials are promising for solution-processed electronics, yet the factors controlling exfoliation remain unclear and relatively few solution-processed networks have been electrically characterized. Here we combine theory and experiment to show that electrochemical exfoliation of layered crystals with sufficient stiffness-anisotropy (in-plane/out-of-plane Young's modulus ratio >1.7) yields high aspect-ratio nanosheets with intrinsic mobilities μ<sub>NS</sub> = 20-75 cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹ across transition metal dichalcogenides and related alloys. Impedance spectroscopy indicates that solution-deposited networks can achieve junction-to-nanosheet resistance ratios (R<sub>J</sub>/R<sub>NS</sub>) as low as ~3, supporting theoretical predictions that μ<sub>NS</sub>/μ<sub>Net</sub> = R<sub>J</sub>/R<sub>NS</sub> + 1 and suggesting that further reductions in R<sub>J</sub> will increase μ<sub>Net</sub> toward the nanosheet limit (μ<sub>NS</sub>). These networks display n-type, p-type, and ambipolar behaviour, with on/off ratios up to 10⁵ and mobilities μ<sub>Net</sub> = 13 cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹. Here, we show that such high-performing 2D materials enable functional solution-processed circuits, including inverters, buffers, a 4-bit digital-to-analog converter, and a circuit capable of encoding and decoding 7-bit ASCII messages.