We present composition-controlled synthesis of ZnO−Zn composite nanoparticles by laser ablation of a zinc metal target in pure water or in aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). By SDS concentration, composition and size of the nanoparticles can be controlled in a wide range. Relative amounts of the components Zn and ZnO, the particle size, and the microstructure can evolve with SDS concentration in solution. High SDS concentration corresponds to high relative amount of Zn nanoparticles existing as the core in the core/shell nanostructures, whereas low SDS concentration leads to high ZnO amount. This was explained by a dynamic mechanism on the basis of the competition between aqueous oxidation and SDS capping protection. Correspondingly, optical absorption spectra evolve from the excitonic peak of ZnO (about 350 nm) to the Zn surface plasmon resonance (about 242 nm) with rise of SDS concentration. A blue (about 450 nm) photoluminescence was observed in the obtained ZnO nanoparticles, which was attributed to existence of interstitial zinc in ZnO lattices. This study has revealed that laser ablation of active metal in liquid media is an appropriate method to synthesize a series of metal oxide semiconductor−metal composite nanoparticles with controlled composition and size.

Solution‐processed CsPbBr3 quantum‐dot light‐emitting diodes with a 50‐fold external quantum efficiency improvement (up to 6.27%) are achieved through balancing surface passivation and carrier injection via ligand density control (treating with hexane/ethyl acetate mixed solvent), which induces the coexistence of high levels of ink stability, photoluminescence quantum yields, thin‐film uniformity, and carrier‐injection efficiency.

Excitonic solar cells (XSCs) have attracted tremendous attentions due to their high solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, to further improve the PCE of XSC, finding an efficient donor material with both suitable direct bandgap and high carrier mobility is still a great challenge. Here, we report a black arsenic–phosphorus monolayer as highly efficient donor for XSCs based on first-principle calculations. Firstly, monolayer arsenic-phosphorus polymorphs with α, β, γ, δ, and ε phases were built, among which α–AsP and β–AsP have been verified to be thermodynamically stable. Significantly, monolayer α–AsP possesses a direct bandgap with energy of 1.54 eV, which covers the main energy of solar spectrum. Moreover, its electronic mobility is as high as 14,380 cm2 V−1 s−1, which is much higher than silicon. These two crucial merits made it a promising candidate as donor materials for XSC device and the theoretical simulations demonstrate a maximum PCE of 22.1% for the primarily designed α–AsP/GaN XSC. Interestingly, the suitable electronic structure of α–AsP enables a formation of perfect type-II semiconductor heterojunction with GaN, which will boost the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers with the assistance of built-in field and high mobility. Particularly, α phase few-layer material of arsenic-phosphorus alloy has been experimentally synthesized recently, which paves the way for experimental realization of black arsenic–phosphorus monolayer donor.

Laser ablation of solid targets in the liquid medium can be realized to fabricate nanostructures with various compositions (metals, alloys, oxides, carbides, hydroxides, etc.) and morphologies (nanoparticles, nanocubes, nanorods, nanocomposites, etc.). At the same time, the post laser irradiation of suspended nanomaterials can be applied to further modify their size, shape, and composition. Such fabrication and modification of nanomaterials in liquid based on laser irradiation has become a rapidly growing field. Compared to other, typically chemical, methods, laser ablation/irradiation in liquid (LAL) is a simple and “green” technique that normally operates in water or organic liquids under ambient conditions. Recently, the LAL has been elaborately developed to prepare a series of nanomaterials with special morphologies, microstructures and phases, and to achieve one‐step formation of various functionalized nanostructures in the pursuit of novel properties and applications in optics, display, detection, and biological fields. The formation mechanisms and synthetic strategies based on LAL are systematically analyzed and the reported nanostructures derived from the unique characteristics of LAL are highlighted along with a review of their applications and future challenges.

Here, a facile and effective route toward full control of vertical ZnO nanorod (NR)/nanowire (NW) arrays in centimeter‐scale areas and considerable improvement of field‐emission (FE) performance is reported. Controlled deformation of colloidal crystal monolayer templates is introduced by heating near glass‐transition temperature. The NR/NW density, uniformity, and tapering were all adjusted through selection of template size and deformation, and electrolyte composition. In line with the adjustments, the field‐emission performance of the arrays is significantly improved. A low turn‐on electric field of 1.8 V µm−1, a field‐enhancement factor of up to 5 750, and an emitting current density of up to 2.5 mA cm−2 were obtained. These improved parameters would benefit their potential application in cold‐cathode‐based electronics.