A promising strategy for further miniaturizing metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors is the use of ultrathin two-dimensional channel materials. However, achieving robust dielectric integration with a sub-1-nm capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) remains challenging. Here we present a wafer-scale monolayer MoO3, transformed from MoS2, which can be seamlessly integrated with atomically thin semiconductors. Its atomically flat surface and the strong electronegativity of Mo6+ further enable the uniform deposition of high-κ dielectrics. Utilizing the 0.96-nm-CET MoO3/HfO2 as the dielectric, the top-gated p-type (n-type) two-dimensional transistors show a high ON/OFF ratio of 6.5 × 106 (3.2 × 108) and a steep subthreshold swing of 60.8 (63.1) mV dec-1. Statistical analysis of a 1,024-device array achieves a high yield of 92.2%. Furthermore, when monolayer MoO3 is used as the top-gated dielectric with an ultimately scaled CET of 0.64 nm, the gate leakage current meets the low-power limit standard (1.5 × 10-2 A cm-2) over the entire bias range. Our study provides a scalable approach for the integration of ultralow-CET dielectrics on two-dimensional materials, marking a critical step towards their future industrial deployment.
{"title":"Wafer-scale monolayer dielectric integration on atomically thin semiconductors.","authors":"Zhenzhen Shen,Haoqi Wu,Chunsen Liu,Zizheng Liu,Yongbo Jiang,Tanjun Wang,Peng Zhou","doi":"10.1038/s41563-025-02445-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02445-x","url":null,"abstract":"A promising strategy for further miniaturizing metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors is the use of ultrathin two-dimensional channel materials. However, achieving robust dielectric integration with a sub-1-nm capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) remains challenging. Here we present a wafer-scale monolayer MoO3, transformed from MoS2, which can be seamlessly integrated with atomically thin semiconductors. Its atomically flat surface and the strong electronegativity of Mo6+ further enable the uniform deposition of high-κ dielectrics. Utilizing the 0.96-nm-CET MoO3/HfO2 as the dielectric, the top-gated p-type (n-type) two-dimensional transistors show a high ON/OFF ratio of 6.5 × 106 (3.2 × 108) and a steep subthreshold swing of 60.8 (63.1) mV dec-1. Statistical analysis of a 1,024-device array achieves a high yield of 92.2%. Furthermore, when monolayer MoO3 is used as the top-gated dielectric with an ultimately scaled CET of 0.64 nm, the gate leakage current meets the low-power limit standard (1.5 × 10-2 A cm-2) over the entire bias range. Our study provides a scalable approach for the integration of ultralow-CET dielectrics on two-dimensional materials, marking a critical step towards their future industrial deployment.","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145955949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nanoconfined water exhibits many abnormal properties compared with bulk water. However, the origin of those anomalies remains controversial due to the lack of experimental access to the molecular-level details of the hydrogen-bonding network of water within a nanocavity. Here we address this issue by combining scanning probe microscopy with nitrogen-vacancy-centre-based quantum sensing. Such a technique allows us to characterize both dynamics and structure of water confined between a hexagonal boron nitride flake and a hydrophilic diamond surface by nanoscale nuclear magnetic resonance. We observe a liquid–solid phase transition of nanoconfined water at ambient temperature with an onset confinement size of ~1.6 nm, below which the water diffusion is considerably suppressed and the hydrogen-bonding network of water becomes structurally ordered. The complete crystallization is observed below a confinement size of ~1 nm. The liquid–solid transition is further confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation. These findings shed new light on the phase transition of nanoconfined water and may form a unified picture for understanding water anomalies at the nanoscale.
{"title":"Experimental observation of liquid–solid transition of nanoconfined water at ambient temperature","authors":"Wentian Zheng, Shichen Zhang, Jian Jiang, Yipeng He, Rainer Stöhr, Andrej Denisenko, Jörg Wrachtrup, Xiao Cheng Zeng, Ke Bian, En-Ge Wang, Ying Jiang","doi":"10.1038/s41563-025-02456-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02456-8","url":null,"abstract":"Nanoconfined water exhibits many abnormal properties compared with bulk water. However, the origin of those anomalies remains controversial due to the lack of experimental access to the molecular-level details of the hydrogen-bonding network of water within a nanocavity. Here we address this issue by combining scanning probe microscopy with nitrogen-vacancy-centre-based quantum sensing. Such a technique allows us to characterize both dynamics and structure of water confined between a hexagonal boron nitride flake and a hydrophilic diamond surface by nanoscale nuclear magnetic resonance. We observe a liquid–solid phase transition of nanoconfined water at ambient temperature with an onset confinement size of ~1.6 nm, below which the water diffusion is considerably suppressed and the hydrogen-bonding network of water becomes structurally ordered. The complete crystallization is observed below a confinement size of ~1 nm. The liquid–solid transition is further confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation. These findings shed new light on the phase transition of nanoconfined water and may form a unified picture for understanding water anomalies at the nanoscale.","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145956343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1038/s41563-025-02452-y
Junyoung Kwon,Kyoung Yeon Kim,Dongwon Jang,Min Seok Yoo,Alum Jung,Dong-Su Ko,Yoonhoo Ha,Huije Ryu,Woon Ih Choi,Yeonchoo Cho,Changhyun Kim,Eunji Yang,Eun Kyu Lee,Chang-Seok Lee,Sang Won Kim,Uihui Kwon,Dae Sin Kim,Sung Kyu Lim,Kyung-Eun Byun,Minsu Seol,Jeehwan Kim
The foundry industry and academia are confronting the limits of Moore's Law scaling for logic transistors. Silicon field‑effect transistors (FETs) now rely on gate‑all‑around structures and ultrathin channels, even at the cost of decreased carrier mobility and complex fabrication processes. Two‑dimensional (2D) semiconductors offer a promising alternative because they retain their crystalline quality at atomic thicknesses. Nonetheless, whether they truly exhibit higher performance than silicon remains questionable. Here, by implementing a dual‑gate structure on bilayer MoS2 FETs, we mitigate the fringing‑field barrier created by the elevated top contact and achieve high carrier densities without increasing fabrication complexity. Simulations and statistical analysis confirm that the dual‑gate compensates the fringe field, enabling a drain current of 1.55 mA µm-1 even with conventional gold contacts. Quantum‑transport simulation indicates that, with further gate‑length and equivalent‑oxide‑thickness scaling, the on-state current can reach levels comparable to silicon FETs at the 3-nm node, and monolithic 3D integration can extend the applicability of dual‑gate 2D transistors to future logic technologies.
{"title":"Gate structuring on n-type bilayer MoS2 field-effect transistors for ultrahigh current density.","authors":"Junyoung Kwon,Kyoung Yeon Kim,Dongwon Jang,Min Seok Yoo,Alum Jung,Dong-Su Ko,Yoonhoo Ha,Huije Ryu,Woon Ih Choi,Yeonchoo Cho,Changhyun Kim,Eunji Yang,Eun Kyu Lee,Chang-Seok Lee,Sang Won Kim,Uihui Kwon,Dae Sin Kim,Sung Kyu Lim,Kyung-Eun Byun,Minsu Seol,Jeehwan Kim","doi":"10.1038/s41563-025-02452-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02452-y","url":null,"abstract":"The foundry industry and academia are confronting the limits of Moore's Law scaling for logic transistors. Silicon field‑effect transistors (FETs) now rely on gate‑all‑around structures and ultrathin channels, even at the cost of decreased carrier mobility and complex fabrication processes. Two‑dimensional (2D) semiconductors offer a promising alternative because they retain their crystalline quality at atomic thicknesses. Nonetheless, whether they truly exhibit higher performance than silicon remains questionable. Here, by implementing a dual‑gate structure on bilayer MoS2 FETs, we mitigate the fringing‑field barrier created by the elevated top contact and achieve high carrier densities without increasing fabrication complexity. Simulations and statistical analysis confirm that the dual‑gate compensates the fringe field, enabling a drain current of 1.55 mA µm-1 even with conventional gold contacts. Quantum‑transport simulation indicates that, with further gate‑length and equivalent‑oxide‑thickness scaling, the on-state current can reach levels comparable to silicon FETs at the 3-nm node, and monolithic 3D integration can extend the applicability of dual‑gate 2D transistors to future logic technologies.","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":"244 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145937738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1038/s41563-025-02448-8
Danqing Wang, Yufeng Wu, Naomi Pieczulewski, Prachi Garg, Manuel C. C. Pace, Charlotte G. L. Bøttcher, Baishakhi Mazumder, David A. Muller, Hong X. Tang
{"title":"All-nitride superconducting qubits based on atomic layer deposition","authors":"Danqing Wang, Yufeng Wu, Naomi Pieczulewski, Prachi Garg, Manuel C. C. Pace, Charlotte G. L. Bøttcher, Baishakhi Mazumder, David A. Muller, Hong X. Tang","doi":"10.1038/s41563-025-02448-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02448-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":"459 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1038/s41563-025-02433-1
Ayushi Shukla, Sraddha Agrawal, Shoshanna Peifer, Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, Pierre Darancet, Richard D. Schaller
{"title":"A metastable tetragonal phase in two-dimensional halide perovskite lattices driven by a coherent Higgs mode","authors":"Ayushi Shukla, Sraddha Agrawal, Shoshanna Peifer, Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, Pierre Darancet, Richard D. Schaller","doi":"10.1038/s41563-025-02433-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02433-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":"175 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1038/s41563-025-02422-4
Huiqi Li, Rui Zeng, Zixiao Shi, Hongsen Wang, Denis Leshchev, Eli Stavitski, Miriam M Tellez-Cruz, Weixuan Xu, Mi-Ju Kim, Andrés Molina Villarino, Qihao Li, David A Muller, Héctor D Abruña
The lack of mechanistic understanding and catalyst design principles for alkaline electrolytes, especially for the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction, has impeded the advancement of alkaline fuel cells. Here we propose a modified volcano plot and apply this rationale to strategically design Pt nanosheets with PdHx nanosheets substrates. This catalyst exhibited high stability with a specific activity of 1.71 mA cm-2 at 0.95 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, surpassing the benchmark of Pt/C by 49-fold. Spectroscopic, electrochemical and electron microscopic characterizations revealed that such performance enhancement originated from tensile-strained Pt{111} facets, improving oxidative stability and suppressing carbon corrosion. In fuel cell testing, the catalyst enabled a peak power density of 1.67 W cm-2 with a loading of 10 µgPGM Cathode cm-2. Further optimization delivered a peak power density of 21.7 W mg-1PGM Cathode+Anode with a total specific catalyst cost US$1.27 kW-1, surpassing the US Department of Energy's Pt group metal loading and cost targets. This study provides valuable insights into catalyst design for the alkaline oxygen reduction reaction.
缺乏对碱性电解质的机理理解和催化剂设计原则,特别是对缓慢的氧还原反应,阻碍了碱性燃料电池的发展。在这里,我们提出了一个改进的火山图,并应用这一原理来策略性地设计铂纳米片与PdHx纳米片衬底。与可逆氢电极相比,该催化剂在0.95 V下的比活度为1.71 mA cm-2,比Pt/C基准高出49倍。光谱、电化学和电镜表征表明,这种性能增强源于拉伸应变Pt{111}面,提高了氧化稳定性,抑制了碳腐蚀。在燃料电池测试中,该催化剂在阴极cm-2负载为10µgPGM的情况下实现了1.67 W cm-2的峰值功率密度。进一步优化后,阴极+阳极的峰值功率密度为21.7 W mg-1PGM,总比催化剂成本为1.27 kW-1美元,超过了美国能源部Pt族金属负载和成本目标。本研究为碱氧还原反应的催化剂设计提供了有价值的见解。
{"title":"Rational design of high-performance low-loading oxygen reduction catalysts for alkaline fuel cells.","authors":"Huiqi Li, Rui Zeng, Zixiao Shi, Hongsen Wang, Denis Leshchev, Eli Stavitski, Miriam M Tellez-Cruz, Weixuan Xu, Mi-Ju Kim, Andrés Molina Villarino, Qihao Li, David A Muller, Héctor D Abruña","doi":"10.1038/s41563-025-02422-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02422-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The lack of mechanistic understanding and catalyst design principles for alkaline electrolytes, especially for the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction, has impeded the advancement of alkaline fuel cells. Here we propose a modified volcano plot and apply this rationale to strategically design Pt nanosheets with PdH<sub>x</sub> nanosheets substrates. This catalyst exhibited high stability with a specific activity of 1.71 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> at 0.95 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, surpassing the benchmark of Pt/C by 49-fold. Spectroscopic, electrochemical and electron microscopic characterizations revealed that such performance enhancement originated from tensile-strained Pt{111} facets, improving oxidative stability and suppressing carbon corrosion. In fuel cell testing, the catalyst enabled a peak power density of 1.67 W cm<sup>-2</sup> with a loading of 10 µg<sub>PGM Cathode</sub> cm<sup>-2</sup>. Further optimization delivered a peak power density of 21.7 W mg<sup>-1</sup><sub>PGM Cathode+Anode</sub> with a total specific catalyst cost US$1.27 kW<sup>-1</sup>, surpassing the US Department of Energy's Pt group metal loading and cost targets. This study provides valuable insights into catalyst design for the alkaline oxygen reduction reaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":38.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145892704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}