### Abstract In the face of rapid global economic development and the severe environmental pollution caused by greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels, the urgent need to develop clean energy and associated energy conversion technologies has become a critical focus. One promising approach is the conversion of light into heat and electricity, a technology that holds significant potential for applications in thermal imaging, photodetection, solar energy harvesting, cancer therapy, environmental monitoring, and desalination. A recent study by the research group led by Professor Jialin Sun from the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University, in collaboration with the research group led by Associate Professor Jinquan Wei from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, has made notable advancements in the design and performance of photothermal and photothermoelectric conversion materials and devices. The Sun group developed a macroscopic-scale pure silver nanostructure film (AgNSF) using a self-invented solid-state ionics method. This AgNSF exhibits significant localized surface plasmon resonance, enabling it to respond to light across a wide spectrum from ultraviolet to mid-infrared. Concurrently, the Wei group synthesized a macroscopic-scale carbon nanotube film (CNTF) via chemical vapor deposition. The CNTF was found to possess an ultra-wide absorption spectrum, excellent photothermal conversion capabilities, and superior carrier mobility. By leveraging the complementary properties of AgNSF and CNTF, the researchers created a composite heterostructure (AgNSF/CNTF) on a glass substrate, utilizing van der Waals forces to bond the two materials. Experimental results demonstrated that the AgNSF/CNTF heterostructure exhibits exceptional photothermal conversion performance. Under laser irradiation with a wavelength of 1064 nanometers and a power of 518 milliwatts, the temperature of the illuminated area increased by 215.9 degrees within just 58 milliseconds. Furthermore, based on the Seebeck effect, the researchers designed a photothermoelectric response device from the heterostructure. When exposed to a series of laser wavelengths from ultraviolet to terahertz, the device showed rapid and broad-spectrum photothermal and photoelectric responses. This composite structure of AgNSF/CNTF not only promises to serve as an efficient and sensitive photothermal conversion material but also as a basis for designing ultra-wideband, fast-response photodetection devices. The findings were published in *Nature Communications* on April 5, 2022, under the title "Local large temperature difference and ultra-wideband photothermoelectric response of the silver nanostructure film/carbon nanotube film heterostructure." The paper's first author is Dr. Bocheng Lu, a doctoral student from the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University. Other contributors include Associate Professor Yu Liu from Fuzhou University, doctoral student Weidong Wu and engineer Yan Xie from Tsinghua University's Department of Engineering Physics, Professor Jialin Sun, Professor Wanyun Ma from the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University, Professor Yang Cao from Beijing Information Science and Technology University, and researchers Ning Yang and Weidong Chu from the Beijing Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics. Professor Jinquan Wei from the School of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Jialin Sun from the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University are the corresponding authors. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Open Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation. The full article can be accessed at: [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29455-6](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29455-6). ### Key Events, People, Locations, and Time Elements - **Key Events**: - Development of a macroscopic-scale pure silver nanostructure film (AgNSF) with broad-spectrum photothermal and photoelectric response capabilities. - Synthesis of a macroscopic-scale carbon nanotube film (CNTF) with ultra-wide absorption spectrum and excellent photothermal conversion properties. - Creation of an AgNSF/CNTF composite heterostructure that exhibits exceptional photothermal and photothermoelectric performance. - Publication of the research findings in *Nature Communications*. - **Key People**: - Professor Jialin Sun (Tsinghua University, Department of Physics) - Associate Professor Jinquan Wei (Tsinghua University, School of Materials Science and Engineering) - Dr. Bocheng Lu (First author, Tsinghua University, Department of Physics) - Associate Professor Yu Liu (Fuzhou University) - Doctoral student Weidong Wu (Tsinghua University, Department of Engineering Physics) - Engineer Yan Xie (Tsinghua University, Department of Engineering Physics) - Professor Jialin Sun (Contributor, Tsinghua University, Department of Physics) - Professor Wanyun Ma (Contributor, Tsinghua University, Department of Physics) - Professor Yang Cao (Contributor, Beijing Information Science and Technology University) - Researchers Ning Yang and Weidong Chu (Contributors, Beijing Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics) - Professor Yi Jia (Contributor, Tsinghua University, Department of Physics) - **Locations**: - Tsinghua University, Beijing, China - Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China - Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing, China - Beijing Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing, China - **Time Elements**: - The research was published on April 5, 2022, in *Nature Communications*. - The development and synthesis of the materials and the creation of the composite heterostructure were ongoing collaborative efforts between the two research groups. ### Conclusion The collaborative efforts of the Sun and Wei research groups at Tsinghua University have resulted in the development of a novel AgNSF/CNTF composite heterostructure. This material exhibits superior photothermal and photothermoelectric performance, making it a promising candidate for a variety of applications, including thermal imaging, photodetection, and solar energy harvesting. The research, supported by multiple national and local funding agencies, highlights the potential of combining different material properties to achieve advanced energy conversion technologies.