Themed collection Advanced Functional Inorganic Materials for Information Technology and Applications

Guest editors Xuebin Wang, Haibo Zeng, and Zhiguo Xia introduce this themed collection on advanced functional inorganic materials for information technology and applications.

We propose strategies for sulfur-based cathodes in aqueous zinc-ion batteries, using molecular engineering, adsorption-catalysis, and electrolyte chemistry to boost performance, conductivity, and stability, making them ideal for grid energy storage.

We present an insightful review of photodetector devices utilizing all-inorganic perovskite films, covering material composition, preparation methodologies, and device advancements, thereby facilitating researchers in visually capturing the features.

The research progress of Ce³⁺/Eu²⁺ doped phosphors that can be excited by violet light, including the structural models, composition regulation, and spectral tuning, is summarized.

The composition of the single- and double-stranded chain mixed structures increases the level of octahedral distortion and alters the band structure, thereby facilitating the recombination of carriers and significantly enhancing the PLQY.

An on-chip vacuum triode based on thermionic electron emission from suspended super-aligned carbon nanotube films is realized via microfabrication technology.

Synergistic modulation of Li nucleation/growth achieved by MOF-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon framework and lithiophilic Ag nanoparticles.

The BN@carbon particle hybrid fillers were designed to enhance the thermal conductivity of composites through bridging and separation effects.

A photocatalytic hydrogel band with the advantages of being bendable, attachable, self-healing, and durable, and high photocatalytic activity for dye degradation was fabricated by facile processes.

The LSPR-type Au NS-CsPbBr₃ photodetector exhibits greatly enhanced photosensitive performances due to an intermediate coupling between Au NSs and CsPbBr₃ microplates.

A configuration-dependent strategy significantly boosts the photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency of hollow core–shell heterostructures through improved light response range, carrier transport, and electron–hole separation rates.

Varying X/Y elements can rationally tune the electronic properties of Janus In₂Ge₂X₃Y₃ (X, Y = S, Se and Te) monolayers. Applying external strains and electric fields upon them can vary the Mulliken charge distributions and electronic band gaps.

One-dimensional (1D) core–shell heterostructures with uniquely abundant interfacial polarization are ideal candidates for high-performance electromagnetic (EM) materials.

The WS₂/AsP vdWHs device with a type-II band structure suppresses dark currents and improves photoelectric characteristics. It boasts a detectivity of 1.72 × 10¹³ jones and a responsivity of 14.6 A W⁻¹, showing great potential in future applications.

N-MXene/metal/N-CNTs 3D scaffolds are obtained via a Lewis acidic etching method and annealing treatment, and they can exhibit excellent Na plating/stripping reversibility owing to good sodiophilicity.

A general method for synthesizing single-atom catalysts (SACs) has been developed using direct impregnation, leveraging the internal silanol structure of molecular sieves to trap metal species.

Developing efficient and long-lasting cathode catalysts is crucial for preparing high-performance lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries.

Atomically ultra-thin Zn-doped In₂O₃ films with high transparency and superior electronic properties were obtained by a liquid In–Zn printing approach.

In this work, the Zn/OLPC-2 hard shell cells present a specific capacity of 176.2 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹. They achieve a cycle life of 15 000 times and a capacity retention of 96.8% at 10 A g⁻¹.

Methodologies for enhancing the conversion efficiency of organic/inorganic thermoelectric composites, enabling future applications in self-powered wearable electronic devices.

A hybrid heterojunction integrates a magnetic SrCoO_2.5 thin film into a p-WSe₂/n-2DEG heterostructure, which displays a prominent self-excited charging behavior, magneto-optical encoding and photomagnetoresistance.

A new high-brightness broadband green-emitting Ca₂YScAl₂Si₂O₁₂:Ce³⁺ garnet phosphor (IQE = 91.1%, EQE = 51.7%) enables high-quality white LEDs (R_a = 92.6, CCT = 4726 K, LE = 109.89 lm W⁻¹).

The introduction of a Br dopant into the CuBiI₄ lattice significantly influenced the film conductivity and charge separation dynamics, which could demonstrate excellent optoelectric performance in the UV-visible range.

Chiral mesostructured In₂O₃ films composed of nanoflakes with different exposed facets exhibit spin chiral anisotropy, which manifests as chirality-dependent but external magnetic field-independent asymmetric magnetic circular dichroism signals.

SF₆ plasma etching was developed as a contact surface pre-treatment to achieve efficient n-doping in multilayer WSe₂ nanosheets and build lateral homojunctions exhibiting superb photovoltaic properties and self-powered wide-spectrum photodetection.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal silicon nitrides (MSi₂N₄: M denotes Mo or W) are promising channel materials for nanoelectronics owing to their attractive structural and electronic properties.