The development of high-performance infrared photodetectors is crucial for advancing electronic and optoelectronic technologies. The 1T' monolayer heptanary medium-entropy (ME) alloy, as a promising material, has emerged as an ideal candidate for high-performance infrared photodetectors, laying a solid foundation for achieving photodetectors with high sensitivity and responsivity.
A research team led by Professor Jiadong Zhou from Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has unveiled a significant achievement in the field of materials science, with the successful synthesis of a 1T' monolayer heptanary medium-entropy (ME) alloy (Mo a W b Fe c Co d S x Se y Te z ) through a one-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. This novel material has shown remarkable enhancements in both electrical and optoelectronic performance, marking a major step forward for infrared photodetectors and expanding the potential of entropy engineering in two-dimensional materials.
The team published their study in Nano Research on March 26, 2025.
"In this study, we provide an overview of our research team's work in synthesizing the 1T' monolayer ME alloy via a one-step CVD process, demonstrating significant improvements in both electrical and optoelectronic properties, thereby laying a solid foundation for the development of next-generation high-performance infrared photodetectors. Additionally, we explore the performance enhancements of the 1T' ME alloy, including its Schottky barrier with the Au electrode, conductance, and thermal activation energy," said Professor Jiadong Zhou, corresponding author of the research paper, professor at the School of Physics, and Deputy Director of the Analysis and Testing Center at Beijing Institute of Technology.
The research team reported the progress made in synthesizing the 1T' ME alloy with seven elements, demonstrating its potential in optimizing both the electrical and optoelectronic properties of pristine 1T' MoTe 2 . "Furthermore, the 1T' ME alloy devices achieve high responsivities of 27.92 A/W at 1064 nm and 63.74 A/W at 1550 nm, outperforming those of pristine 1T' MoTe 2 and previously reported MoTe 2 -based photodetectors." Professor Jiadong Zhou added.
Other contributors include Chunyu Zhao, Denan Kong, Ping Wang, Yang Yang, Weikang Dong, Longyi Fu, Dian Li, Tianyu Zang, and Shoujun Zheng from the Centre for Quantum Physics, Key Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Quantum Architecture and Measurement (MOE), School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology; Ruichun Luo, Jingbo Pang, and Wu Zhou from the School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Xiaoyu Zheng and Yao Zhou from the Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology.
This work was supported by National Key R&D Program of China (grant No. 2022YFA1203901 and grant No. 202221855043, to J.Z.), National Natural Science Foundation of China (62174013, 92265111, 52450014 and W2412065, to J.Z.), the Beijing National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars (grant No. JQ23007, to J.Z.), the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (L233003, to J.Z.), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (grant No. BX2021301, to R.L.). This research benefited from resources and supports from the Electron Microscopy Center at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
About Nano Research
Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 7,000 articles. In 2024 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2024 IF is 9.0 (8.7, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.
Nano Research
Synthesis of Heptanary Monolayer Medium-Entropy Alloy via Chemical Vapor Deposition for High-performance Infrared Photodetectors
26-Mar-2026