Plasmonic nanostructures of Au nanotriangles and nanodisks are coupled with few-layer MoS ₂ inducing photoluminescence (PL) enhancement. The underlying mechanisms were investigated with the experimentally quantified enhancement factors.

The evolution and recent development of soft and stretchable dielectric elastomers have unlocked avenues for multitude applications in the fields of sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters. In lieu of rigid conductive fillers that enhance dielectric properties but degenerate mechanical properties in elastomers, the use of liquid metal particles as fillers has emerged as a significant alternative, exhibiting excellent amplification of dielectric properties while preserving the mechanical properties of the parent elastomer. Increasing academic endeavors devoted to the use of liquid metals as alternative fillers have garnered attention among researchers, resulting in notable advancements in the field of composites, with one of the highlights being elastomeric dielectrics demonstrating exceptional elasto-dielectric behaviors. With the intention to accelerate research progress in this domain and cater to wider attention among the enthusiasts, this review attempts to encompass all the significant aspects of liquid metal incorporated elastomeric dielectrics (LMEDs), viz., fabrication procedures, elasto-dielectric properties, factors leading to dielectric failure, and recent applications in the field of soft and stretchable electronics. This review is meant to serve as a comprehensive guide detailing the essential information and emphasis needed to further develop and ameliorate the current research related to LMEDs.

The formation of secondary phases of NiTe₂ and NbTe₂ in p-type Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ thermoelectric alloys was investigated through in situ phase separation by using the melt spinning process. Adding stoichiometric Ni, Nb, and Te in a solid-state synthesis process of Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃, followed by rapid solidification by melt spinning, successfully segregated NiTe₂ and NbTe₂ in the Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ matrix. Since heterointerfaces of Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ with NiTe₂ and NbTe₂ form potential barriers of 0.26 and 0.08 eV, respectively, a low energy carrier filtering effect can be expected; higher Seebeck coefficients and power factors were achieved for Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃(NiTe₂)_0.01 (250 μV/K and 3.15 mW/mK²), compared to those of Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ (240 μV/K and 2.69 mW/mK²). However, there was no power factor increase for NbTe₂ segregated samples. The decrease in thermal conductivity was seen due to the possible additional phonon scattering by the phase segregations. Consequently, zT at room temperature was enhanced to 0.98 and 0.94 for Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃(NiTe₂)_0.01 and Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃(NbTe₂)_0.01, respectively, compared to 0.79 for Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃. The carrier filtering effect induced by NiTe₂ segregations with an interface potential barrier of 0.26 eV effectively increased the Seebeck coefficient and power factor, thus improving the zT of p-type Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃, while the interface potential barrier of 0.08 eV of NbTe₂ segregation appeared to be too small to induce an effective carrier filtering effect.