A key challenge in the fabrication of ferromagnetically filled carbon-nanotube buckypapers in the presence of Cl-radicals is the achievement of a preferential horizontal nanotube-alignment.

The electronic structures, and static and dynamic magnetic properties of monolayer iron dioxide and iron dichalcogenides (FeX₂ (X = O, S, Se, Te)) are investigated using first-principle calculations in conjunction with Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and atomic spin dynamics (ASD) simulation. In this rarely studied family of monolayer binary compounds a variety of possible phases are discovered, including narrow bandgap a semiconductor (FeO₂), half-metal (FeS₂) and metal (FeSe₂ and FeTe₂), and all the ground states are ferromagnetic (FM). Based on the magnetic exchange interactions, the temperature dependence of the average magnetic moment per unit cell and magnetic susceptibility of monolayer FeX₂ are predicted. The Curie temperatures (T_Cs) are estimated and magnon dispersions as a function of temperature are demonstrated, revealing a new family of pristine monolayers with transition temperatures (96–168 K) above the liquid-nitrogen temperature.

The electronic transport properties of zigzag phosphorene nanoribbon (ZPNR) homostructures are investigated using density functional theory calculations and the nonequilibrium Green’s function technique. The proposed devices have simple constructions but exhibit robust negative differential resistance (NDR) as well as quite large current, which implies great potential for building nanoelectronic devices. Through the analysis of the electronic structures and transmission spectra, we give a clear physical picture of the NDR mechanism, in which such current–voltage (I–V) behaviors originate from the bias-dependent interaction between the discrete density of states (DOS) peaks of the electrodes and the narrow states around the Fermi level in the scattering region.

Microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) has been traditionally used to synthesize carbon-based materials such as diamonds, carbon nanotubes and graphene. Here we report that a rapid and catalyst-free growth of SnSe thin films can be achieved by using single-mode MPCVD with appropriate source materials. The analysis combining microscope images, X-ray diffraction patterns and lattice vibration modes shows that the grown thin films were composed of orthorhombic structured SnSe polycrystals. Further thermoelectric (TE) characterization of the SnSe films reveals the high-performance power factor of 3.98 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻² at 600 K. Our results may open an avenue for rapid synthesis of new types of materials such as IV–VI compounds and be useful for TE application of these materials.

Undoped ZnO thin films are prepared by polymer‐assisted deposition (PAD) and treated by postannealing at different temperatures in oxygen or forming gases (95% Ar + 5% H₂). All the samples exhibit ferromagnetism at room temperature (RT). SQUID and positron annihilation measurements show that post‐annealing treatments greatly enhance the magnetizations in undoped ZnO samples, and there is a positive correlation between the magnetization and zinc vacancies in the ZnO thin films. XPS measurements indicate that annealing also induces oxygen vacancies that have no direct relationship with ferromagnetism. Further analysis of the results suggests that the ferromagnetism in undoped ZnO is induced by Zn vacancies.