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Merging 2D transparent phototransistors and liquid crystal modulators, authors report an optoelectronic neuron array for self-amplitude modulation of spatially incoherent light, achieving a large nonlinear contrast over a broad spectrum at orders-of-magnitude lower intensity.

The realization of high-quality van der Waals contacts on monocrystalline halide perovskite thin films enables the probing of their long-range carrier and photocarrier transport properties.

As cancer is increasingly considered a metabolic disorder, it is postulated that serum metabolite profiling can be a viable approach for detecting the presence of cancer. Here, the authors report a machine learning model using mass spectrometry-based liquid biopsy data for pan-cancer screening and classification.

A chemical dedoping technique is introduced to mitigate excessive electron doping in molecular cation intercalated MoS₂, producing a stable bulk monolayer material with monolayer-like optical properties but a much larger optical cross-section.

Elaborated catalysts design can substantially enhance performance under unfavourable reaction conditions. Amorphous nickel hydroxide proton sieve used to modify local chemical environment on a platinum surface results in unprecedented performance for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction.

A one-step simultaneous van der Waals integration of high-k dielectrics and contacts enables the realization of top-gated transistors with atomically clean and electronically sharp interfaces.

A van der Waals contact approach enables the observation of photocarrier-induced persistent structural polarization in lead halide perovskites.

The current status and prospects of two-dimensional transistors are reviewed, and the reliability of widely used device parameters is assessed.

The orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transition in perovskite can alter its optical and electronic properties. Here, Li et al. report an investigation of the size dependent orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transition and show that the phase transition temperature decreases with reducing microplate thickness.

The growth of high-quality graphene over large areas is essential for the realization of graphene-based electronic devices. Zhou et al.report a new pathway to grow single crystalline graphene of up to 5 mm in size, with very good electronic performance and high uniformity.

The layer-number-dependent optical and electronic properties of transition metal dichalcogenides are promising in optoelectronics. Here, Li et al. demonstrate greatly enhanced electroluminescence emission in multi-layer MoS₂attributed to the electric-field-induced carrier redistribution.

Vertical integration of two-dimensional materials can open unprecedented possibilities towards design of efficient optoelectronic devices. Here, the authors investigate the photoresponse properties of a graphene/MoS₂/graphene heterostructure, revealing promising quantum efficiency performances.

The real-time monitoring of nitric oxide levels in the human body is critical for understanding the roles it has in biological processes. Jiang et al. report a graphene-based sensor for selective detection of nitric oxide in living cells with direct electrical read-out and sub-nanomole sensitivity.

Molybdenum disulfide holds great potential for advanced flexible electronic devices. Here, using a transferred gate technique, the authors fabricate molybdenum disulfide-based transistors with optimized device geometry and contact, improving device speed and demonstrating gigahertz circuits with voltage gain.

Carbon-based materials are promising supercapacitor electrodes, but suffer from limited energy densities. Here, the authors report a holey graphene framework with hierarchical porous structures and fully accessible surface areas, leading to high energy densities comparable to lead-acid batteries.

Hyperaccumulation can allow facile enrichment of metal ions in halophytic plants. Here, the authors use the effect to convert plant structures into hierarchical carbon/metal-oxide nanocomposites and demonstrate the structures as battery electrodes combining high power density and excellent cycling stability.

In situprobing electrochemical interfaces is important for the development of improved electrocatalysts. Here, the authors present an on-chip electrical transport spectroscopy approach, which enablesin situmonitoring the dynamic electrochemical interface characteristics.

Hypocrystalline ceramic aerogels with a zig-zag architecture show high thermal stability under thermal shock and exposure to high temperature, providing a reliable material system for thermal insulation at extreme conditions.

While single-atom catalysts offer high atomic utilization and tunable reaction pathways, there are still challenges in controlling reactivity. Here, authors use oriented external electric fields to induce electrostatic polarization in metal single-atoms and to boost water-splitting performances.

Miniaturized infrared spectrometers are required for imaging and remote sensing applications, but they are usually characterized by a cm-scale footprint. Here, the authors report the realization of near-infrared spectrometers based on Au-atom-intercalated ReS₂/WSe₂ heterostructures with an active footprint < 10 μm and electrically tunable photoresponse.

The widespread adoption of fuel cells requires exhaustive screening for highly active and durable Pt-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. Now a binary descriptor based on experimental parameters extracted from X-ray absorption spectroscopy is used to predict the catalytic activity and stability of a wide range of Pt-alloy catalysts.

Photodetectors that offer broadband imaging from ultraviolet to mid-infrared can be created by using a silicon depletion well for charge integration, single-layer graphene for non-destructive direct readout and multilayer graphene for infrared photocharge injection.

Platinum is the most active catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction, but the specific mechanism and the influence of the alkali metal cations remain elusive in alkaline media. Now, electrical transport spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations are combined to elucidate the role of alkali metal cations for this reaction in alkaline electrolyte.

Ultrafine catalysts are desirable for the reduction of fuel cell costs but are intrinsically unstable. Here the authors report graphene-nanopocket-encaged PtCo catalysts with exceptional durability under the demanding ultralow-Pt-loading condition while delivering a satisfactory fuel cell performance.

The practical application of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) requires robust and scalable synthesis of these atomically thin materials and their heterostructures. This Review discusses the key challenges, current progress and opportunities in the controllable synthesis of TMD-based heterostructures, superlattices and moiré superlattices.

Layered double hydroxides of transition metals are known to be highly active for water oxidation, but the nature of their active sites and reaction mechanism are still elusive. Now, a monolayer NiCo hydroxide catalyst, in situ prepared on the working electrode, is reported to exhibit valence oscillation and dynamic generation of active sites during water oxidation.

Hydrogen production from water electrolysis requires high working voltages and produces H₂ only at the cathode. Now, H₂ generation during the oxidation of biomass-derived aldehydes is combined with the hydrogen evolution reaction on the cathode for low-voltage H₂ production.

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to value-added fuels and feedstocks has recently received a great deal of attention. Here, Cu nanowires that display rich surface steps are reported to sustain C₂H₄ production from CO₂ with a remarkably high Faradaic efficiency for 200 hours.

Platinum plays a crucial role in various electrocatalytic systems, but its scarcity and cost limit its practical application. Now, a single-atom tailoring strategy applied to platinum nanowires maximizes their specific and mass activities for the hydrogen evolution and methanol and ethanol oxidation reactions.

Single-atom catalysts maximize metal atom efficiency and exhibit properties that can be considerably different to their nanoparticle equivalent. Now a general host–guest strategy to make various single-atom catalysts on nitrogen-doped carbon has been developed; the iridium variant electrocatalyses the formic acid oxidation reaction with high mass activity and displays high tolerance to CO poisoning.

Filterless narrowband photodetectors are preferred in imaging applications as they save cost and space. Here Li et al. develop photodetectors with tunable spectral responsivities based on two-dimensional perovskites and the excellent performance can be attributed to the self-trapped states.

Using a monolayer molecular crystal as a seeding layer, hafnium oxide dielectrics with an equivalent oxide thickness of only 1 nm can be deposited on graphene, molybdenum disulfide and tungsten diselenide.

One of the challenges hindering the control of 2D transistor polarity is the incompatibility with conventional ion-implantation doping approaches. Here, the authors report a doping-free strategy to obtain polarity control of WSe₂ transistors using same-metal contacts with different integration methods.

Heteroepitaxial growth of single-crystal films typically requires stringent matching of the specific lattice ordering with the underlying substrate. Now, amorphous MoTe₂ thin films are shown to transform into wafer-scale 2D single-crystals through seeded growth on the surface of any arbitrary substrate.

Growth of large area and defect-free two-dimensional semiconductor layers for high-performance p–n junction applications has been a great challenge. Yang et al. prepare millimeter-scaled WSe₂/SnS₂ vertical heterojunctions by two-step van der Waals epitaxy, which show excellent optoelectronic properties.

High-resolution doping patterns can be reversibly written in van der Waals heterostructures using a combination of an electron beam and a back-gate voltage.

The fundamental kinetics of the electrocatalytic sulfur reduction reaction, a complex 16-electron conversion process in lithium–sulfur batteries, is a topic that remains largely unexplored. Here, by directly profiling the activation energies in the multi-step reaction, the authors establish how the conversion kinetics differ for each step.

TiO₂ and other metal oxides were interfaced with molecular boron clusters to form a hybrid material. This modifies the electrochemical and photocatalytic properties, enabling fast electron transfer and dye degradation under red light.

Pressure sensors with a sensitivity of ~10³−10⁷ kPa⁻¹, as well as rapid response speeds, low power consumption and excellent stability, can be created by integrating a conductive microstructured air-gap gate with two-dimensional semiconductor transistors.

Atomically dispersed metal catalysts are of increasing importance in many catalytic processes, but clear structural identification is challenging. Here, a general synthesis of metal (nickel, iron and cobalt) single-atom catalysts on nitrogen-doped graphene allows the authors to identify a common structure and furthermore correlate structure with electrocatalytic activity.

Dongfeng Gu and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for coronary artery disease in Han Chinese individuals. They identify four loci newly associated with coronary artery disease.

Methods to manufacture layered hybrid superlattices composed of alternating crystalline atomic layers and self-assembled atomic or molecular interlayers are described, to make use of their combined strengths and produce designable quantum solids.

With a dangling-bond-free surface, two dimensional layered materials (2DLMs) can enable the creation of diverse van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) without the conventional constraint of lattice matching or process compatibility. This Review discusses the recent advances in exploring 2DLM vdWHs for future electronics and optoelectronics.

In situ investigation of a single nanowire/quantum dot heterojunction solar cell using a custom-designed photoelectric transmission electron microscope set-up reveals the possibility of achieving improved photovoltaic performance.

Coupling graphene sheets with a silicon nitride ring microresonator allows the nonlinear cavity dynamics to be altered by a gate voltage, resulting in tunable, chip-scale, optical frequency combs.

An all-optical difference frequency process is exploited to generate terahertz graphene plasmons that are tunable over an octave.

This Perspective examines the challenges involved in assessing the operation and performance of field-effect transistors based on emerging materials, and provides guidelines for the consistent reporting and benchmarking of the devices.