Vapor deposition techniques were utilized to synthesize very thick (∼1 mm) Li-ion battery anodes consisting of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes coated with silicon and carbon. The produced anode demonstrated ultrahigh thermal (>400 W·m(-1) ·K(-1)) and high electrical (>20 S·m(-1)) conductivities, high cycle stability, and high average capacity (>3000 mAh·g(Si) (-1)). The processes utilized allow for the conformal deposition of other materials, thus making it a promising architecture for the development of Li-ion anodes and cathodes with greatly enhanced electrical and thermal conductivities.

Materials that can perform simultaneous functions allow for reductions in the total system mass and volume. Developing technologies to produce flexible batteries with good performance in combination with high specific strength is strongly desired for weight- and power-sensitive applications such as unmanned or aerospace vehicles, high-performance ground vehicles, robotics, and smart textiles. State of the art battery electrode fabrication techniques are not conducive to the development of multifunctional materials due to their inherently low strength and conductivities. Here, we present a scalable method utilizing carbon nanotube (CNT) nonwoven fabric-based technology to develop flexible, electrochemically stable (∼494 mAh·g(-1) for 150 cycles) battery anodes that can be produced on an industrial scale and demonstrate specific strength higher than that of titanium, copper, and even a structural steel. Similar methods can be utilized for the formation of various cathode and anode composites with tunable strength and energy and power densities.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a layered semiconducting material with a tunable bandgap that is promising for the next generation nanoelectronics as a substitute for graphene or silicon. Despite recent progress, the synthesis of high‐quality and highly uniform MoS2 on a large scale is still a challenge. In this work, a temperature‐dependent synthesis study of large‐area MoS2 by direct sulfurization of evaporated Mo thin films on SiO2 is presented. A variety of physical characterization techniques is employed to investigate the structural quality of the material. The film quality is shown to be similar to geological MoS2, if synthesized at sufficiently high temperatures (1050 °C). In addition, a highly uniform growth of trilayer MoS2 with an unprecedented uniformity of ±0.07 nm over a large area (> 10 cm2) is achieved. These films are used to fabricate field‐effect transistors following a straightforward wafer‐scale UV lithography process. The intrinsic field‐effect mobility is estimated to be about 6.5±2.2 cm2 V–1 s–1 and compared to previous studies. These results represent a significant step towards application of MoS2 in nanoelectronics and sensing.

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Tunneling transistors with negative differential resistance have widespread appeal for both digital and analog electronics. However, most attempts to demonstrate resonant tunneling devices, including graphene-insulator-graphene structures, have resulted in low peak-to-valley ratios, limiting their application. We theoretically demonstrate that vertical heterostructures consisting of two identical monolayer 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductor electrodes and a hexagonal boron nitride barrier result in a peak-to-valley ratio several orders of magnitude higher than the best that can be achieved using graphene electrodes. The peak-to-valley ratio is large even at coherence lengths on the order of a few nanometers, making these devices appealing for nanoscale electronics.