Sofer Group

Electrospun PAN Membrane Loaded with AgInP2Se6 Nanosheets for Triboelectric Energy Harvesting Exfoliated AgInP2Se6 nanosheets are incorporated into a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer matrix by electrospinning and applied for the first time in a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The hybrid me...

Electrospun PAN Membrane Loaded with AgInP2Se6 Nanosheets for Triboelectric Energy Harvesting, published in Small
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

🌟 Researchers from UCT Prague, led by Prof. Zdenek Sofer, have developed a novel method for synthesizing MXenes 🧬. For the first time, Ti₃C₂Tx MXene was synthesized using carbon microfibers (CF) as both the carbon source and template, resulting in a unique tubular structure 🌐.

🧪 How to replace lithium in batteries?
Dr. Tomáš Hartman from UCT Prague, supported by GAČR, is exploring 2D materials based on silicon and germanium – more sustainable and abundant elements that could pave the way for next-gen battery tech.

🧲 Could wearable EMI shielding be flexible and lightweight?


Dr. Filipa Oliveira is cooking up new materials at UCT Prague using MXenes – 2D compounds with tailored surface chemistry.

Unravelling the Electro‐Photocatalytic Water Splitting Capabilities of 2D‐Bifunctional Mo2S3‐WS2 Catalyst: Implications for Renewable Energy Platforms Schematic representation of band alignment and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) image of Mo2S3-WS2 nanocomposites.

Unravelling the Electro-Photocatalytic Water Splitting Capabilities of 2D-Bifunctional Mo2S3-WS2 Catalyst: Implications for Renewable Energy Platforms
Published in Small Methods
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

@vschtpraha.bsky.social

Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Binder-Free Fluorine–Vanadium-Doped CoMoO4 Nanosheets via In Situ MXene Integration for Energy Storage Applications Designing an affordable device that seamlessly combines efficient electrochemical energy storage with straightforward, robust protocols represents a promising pathway for ushering in the next generati...

Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Binder-Free Fluorine–Vanadium-Doped CoMoO4 Nanosheets via In Situ MXene Integration for Energy Storage Applications | ACS Applied Energy Materials pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

@vschtpraha.bsky.social @pubs.acs.org

Toward 2D van der Waals Entropy Mixture MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se, Te) for Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis High-entropy alloys have emerged as a class of materials, offering unique properties due to their irregular and randomized arrangement of multiple elements in an ordered lattice. This concept has been extended to two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials, including transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), which exhibit promising applications in electrocatalysis. In this work, we have explored the synthesis of entropy mixture crystals (TMDmix) involving the chemical vapor transport of five individual elements, Mo and W as metal elements, S, Se, and Te as chalcogenide elements, resulting in a crystalline structure with a controlled composition Mo0.56W0.44(S0.33Se0.35Te0.32)2, with an estimated ΔSmix of 0.96R. When observed along the [001] zone axis, STEM HAADF images indicate the presence of the different crystal phases of the 2D TMDs (1T, 2H, and 3R). Our findings demonstrate the potential of the entropy TMDmix materials as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction, offering an alternative to noble metal-based catalysts. To maximize the potential of TMDmix, we chose chemical exfoliation with the resulting material being subdivided into size groups, big and small, according to their lateral size. In an acidic medium, the lowest overpotential of 127 mV and a Tafel slope of 79 mV/dec were obtained for the exfoliated sample with a small lateral size (exf-TMDsmall).

Toward 2D van der Waals Entropy Mixture MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se, Te) for Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis | ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
@pubs.acs.org @vschtpraha.bsky.social

Sub-stoichiometric zirconium oxide as a solution-processed dielectric for reconfigurable electronics - Nature Electronics Devices based on a vertical van der Waals heterostructure of solution-processed zirconium oxide and molybdenum disulfide can reconfigure between transistor and diode modes, and be fabricated on the wa...

New Nature Electronics paper on "Sub-stoichiometric zirconium oxide as a solution-processed dielectric for reconfigurable electronics"

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natureportfolio.nature.com

Metal Phosphorus Chalcogenide Nanosheet-Modified SnO2 Electron Transport Layers for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells The electron transport layer (ETL) of tin dioxide (SnO2) plays a pivotal role in n–i–p perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by facilitating the extraction of photogenerated electrons and blocking the transpo...

Metal Phosphorus Chalcogenide Nanosheet-Modified SnO2 Electron Transport Layers for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells | ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Optical Whispering‐Gallery Mode as a Fingerprint of Magnetic Ordering in Van der Waals Layered CrSBr A novel nanoscale optomagnetic sensing approach is developed using whispering-gallery mode resonances in a self-rolled-up microcavity. This method enables ultra-sensitive detection of weak magnetism ...

New paper out in Advanced Functional Materials!
“Optical Whispering-Gallery Mode as a Fingerprint of Magnetic Ordering in Van der Waals Layered CrSBr”. Read it here → doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202505275

Six-electron-conversion selenium cathodes stabilized by dead-selenium revitalizer for aqueous zinc batteries - Nature Communications Developing chemistries for positive electrodes with large specific capacities and high operating potentials is highly desirable for aqueous zinc batteries. Here, authors report a reversible Se electro...

Six-electron-conversion selenium cathodes stabilized by dead-selenium revitalizer for aqueous zinc batteries. Nature Communications 16, 3707 (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s414...
@natcomms.nature.com

Tuning of MoS2 Photoluminescence in Heterostructures with CrSBr Monolayers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are known for their unique excitonic photoluminescence (PL), which can be tuned by interfacing them with other materials. However,...

Tuning of MoS2 Photoluminescence in Heterostructures with CrSBr | ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
@acs.org @charlesuni.cuni.cz @heyrovskeho-ustav.bsky.social

Growth of mixed SnSSe. #2D

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in 2D materials at the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague
We welcome highly motivated, talented postdocs seeking to conduct cutting-edge research in the field of 2D materials via the prestigious MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by the @ec.europa.eu

Topics below and describing your motivation to work with the host supervisor in Prague:
2D materials for application in energy storage and electrocatalysis
2D materials for functional electronics and optoelectronics
Fundamental physics of 2D materials.
2D materials in catalysis and electrocatalysis

Researchers interested to prepare the MSCA PF project proposal are invited to provide the following, to zdenek.sofer@vscht.cz and cc to anna.konecka@vscht.cz, by 10 May 2025

MSCA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS IN 2D MATERIALS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY, PRAGUE at University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague in Prague, CZECHIA Apr 14, 2025 | The research group of prof. Sofer based at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry of UCT Prague is keen to welcome highly motivated, talented... | NEW JOB

www.researchgate.net/job/1020979_...

Our work, published in Advanced Functional Materials, has ranked within the top 10% of most-viewed papers published by the journal in 2023:
Probing Defects and Spin‐Phonon Coupling in CrSBr via Resonant Raman Scattering
doi.org/10.1002/adfm...

@wiley.com

Exploring Mg-Sn alloys as electrocatalysts for CO2 electroreduction Tin is one of the most selective electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction (CO2RR), mostly thanks to its poor activity towards the hydrogen evolution reactio…

Exploring Mg-Sn alloys as electrocatalysts for CO2 electroreduction, published in Applied Catalysis A: General
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@elsevierconnect.bsky.social @urv.cat @bist.eu

Ultrahigh-Responsivity Near-Infrared Printed Photodetectors Based on Megasonically Processed RuCl3 Nanosheets Electronic structure modification via intercalative electron-doping of α-RuCl3, a two-dimensional (2D) transition metal halide, imparts unique optoelectronic properties such as near-infrared (NIR) absorption. While bulk-scale RuCl3 nanosheet production has been established using conventional liquid phase exfoliation, printed devices compatible with scalable manufacturing remain unexplored. Here, we demonstrate fully aerosol-jet-printed (AJP) NIR photodetectors based on megasonically processed RuCl3 nanosheets. The NIR photoresponse is enhanced by intercalation-based electron-doping in two stages: primary electrochemical intercalation of bulk RuCl3 crystals with quaternary ammonium bromides followed by megasonic exfoliation and secondary intercalation with polyvinylpyrrolidone. The degree of doping is controlled by the starting size of the primary intercalant, as larger primary intercalants ultimately enable greater secondary intercalation and electron-doping. In this manner, the combination of two-step intercalative doping and megasonic processing results in fully printed photodetectors with NIR responsivity of 244 mA/W at 1550 nm, outperforming previous reports by more than an order of magnitude.

Ultrahigh-Responsivity Near-Infrared Printed Photodetectors Based on Megasonically Processed RuCl3 Nanosheets | Nano Letters pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
@pubs.acs.org

NbAs2 crystals. Something 3D today

Raman polarization switching in CrSBr npj 2D Materials and Applications - Raman polarization switching in CrSBr

New in #npj2dmaterials @natureportfolio.bsky.social: Mondal et al. show that polarized Raman scattering reveals a striking 90° rotation of CrSBr’s phonon modes, uncovering resonant electron-phonon coupling in this anisotropic antiferromagnet. www.nature.com/artic... #nanomaterials #2dmaterials 🧪

Harvesting new crystals from furnaces. Nice snake of PdPS grown over two weeks. #2D

Promotional graphic for regional spotlight collection

Check out this post-publication collection for the Nanoscale Horizons 10th anniversary showcasing some of our most popular articles over the past decade by authors in Europe 🌏 Free to read until 30 April 2025!
🔗pubs.rsc.org/am/jour...

We are delighted to share that our article has been selected for Nanoscale Horizons anniversary regional spotlight collection to celebrate 10 years of high quality, impactful and timely research from Europe. t.co/406Y967v8l
@nanoscale-journals.rsc.org @rsc.org
Our paper: doi.org/10.1039/D2NH...

Our 1st post in @bsky.app
📢 🎓 New PhD opening: Joint position at FZJ-ER-C & UCT Prague on magnetic & structural properties of 2D quantum materials.🧲⚛️ @nextstep-programme.bsky.social
Apply by May 2, 2025
More info: esrf.gestmax.eu/1871/1/phd-s...