2D materials

Researchers from Peking University, Beijing Graphene Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Manchester have developed a new method to integrate 2D semiconductors with dielectric materials. Their approach involves the epitaxial growth of an ultra-thin dielectric film on a graphene-covered copper surface, which subsequently enables its transfer onto various substrates with minimal defects. 

The new method addresses the challenges in integrating 2D materials(like graphene) into microelectronic devices. As conventional transfer methods that use polymer supports often introduce chemical contamination, various mechanical issues and interfacial defects, the team set out to develop a wafer-scale process that overcomes these issues, by preserving graphene's intrinsic properties and ensuring a clean, well-controlled interface during transfer and encapsulation.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, CNRS and Imperial College London have used machine learning-driven molecular dynamics simulations to explore how defects in the surface of two-dimensional sheets alter ripple effects. 

They found that above a critical concentration of defects, free-standing graphene sheets undergo a dynamic transition from freely propagating to static ripples. The team's computational approach captures the dynamics with atomic resolution, and reveals that the transition is driven by elastic interactions between defects. The strength of these interactions is found to vary across defect types and a unifying set of principles was identified, driving the dynamic-to-static transition in 2D materials.

The SAFARI project is a 42-months research and innovation project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program. The project brings together a consortium of 11 partners from 8 European countries. SAFARI is also part of the Graphene Flagship’s initiative, which aims to develop sustainable and safe processes for the production of graphene and other 2D materials.

The SAFARI project is developing conductive inks based on MXenes and graphene hybrids that can be used for printed electronics applications, such as RFID tags and flexible displays. Also, novel sensors and EMI shielding materials are developed, based on MXenes and graphene hybrids. 

Researchers from AMO, Graphenea and RWTH Aachen University have, as part of the European experimental pilot line for electronic and optoelectronic devices based on graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials, namely the Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) project, reported the results obtained during the first and third multi-project wafer (MPW) runs completed at the end of 2022 (MPW run 1) and 2023 (MPW run 3). 

The Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) project, that aims to advance the widespread commercialization of electronic devices based on graphene, published the new report that summarizes the results of two multi-project wafer (MPW) runs, utilizing electrical and spectroscopic characterization to demonstrate the high quality of production in the 2D-EPL. MPW run 1 was intended mainly for graphene-based sensors, in particular chemical and biosensors, while MPW run 3 focused on graphene electronics. 

Researchers at Korea's Pohang University of Science and Technology and Japan's National Institute for Materials Science have developed a way to control the properties of graphene by combining superconductors and graphene. 

Professor Lee Gil-ho of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and researchers from the Research Institute, in collaboration with Kenji Watanabe and Takashi Taniguchi from the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan, noted they have successfully improved the junction characteristics between graphene and superconducting electrodes. 

MIT researchers have gained new understanding of what leads electrons to split into fractions of themselves. Their solution sheds light on the conditions that give rise to exotic electronic states in graphene and other two-dimensional systems.

The recent work attempts to make sense of a discovery that was reported earlier this year by a different group of physicists at MIT, led by Assistant Professor Long Ju. Ju’s team found that electrons appear to exhibit “fractional charge” in pentalayer graphene — a configuration of five graphene layers that are stacked atop a similarly structured sheet of boron nitride.

Polaritons are coupled excitations of electromagnetic waves with either charged particles or vibrations in the atomic lattice of a given material. One of their most attractive properties is the capacity to confine light at the nanoscale, which is even more extreme in two-dimensional (2D) materials. 2D polaritons have been investigated by optical measurements using an external photodetector. However, their effective spectrally resolved electrical detection via far-field excitation remains unexplored. This hinders their exploitation in crucial applications such as sensing, hyperspectral imaging, and optical spectrometry, banking on their potential for integration with silicon technologies. 

Recently, researchers from Spain's ICFO, the University of Ioannina, Universidade do Minho, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Kansas State University, the National Institute for Materials Science (Tsukba, Japan), POLIMA (University of Southern Denmark) and URCI (Institute of Materials Science and Computing, have reported on the electrical spectroscopy of polaritonic nanoresonators based on a high-quality 2D-material heterostructure, which serves at the same time as the photodetector and the polaritonic platform. Subsequently, the team electrically detected these mid-infrared resonators by near-field coupling to a graphene pn-junction. The nanoresonators simultaneously exhibited extreme lateral confinement and high-quality factors. 

Imperial College London has spun out a company called 2D Nano, led by Dr. Andrius Patapas, Professor Omar Matar, Professor Camille Petit (Department of Chemical Engineering), and Dr. Jason Stafford (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham), to pioneer the production of advanced materials like graphene, boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide, and more. 

Recently, 2D Nano reportedly secured £2 million in funding from private investors, allowing the Company to scale up production of 2D materials to several tonnes per year. Their internal research and development suggests this can lead to the manufacturing of graphene-enhanced products in excess of 100,000 t/y. The Company is particularly focused on deploying its materials in high-demand sectors such as concrete, coatings, and energy storage, where significant sustainability benefits can be realized. 

University of Illinois Chicago scientists have created a new platform to study materials at the level of individual molecules. The approach is a significant breakthrough for creating nanotechnologies that could revolutionize computing, energy and other fields.

Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, are made from a single layer of atoms. Studying and designing these ultrathin materials requires highly specialized methods. The laboratory of Nan Jiang, associate professor of chemistry and physics at UIC, pioneered a new method to simultaneously examine the structural, electronic and chemical properties of these nanomaterials. The platform combines two scientific approaches — scanning probe microscopy and optical spectroscopy — to view materials and assess how they interact with chemicals.

Khalifa University of Science and Technology’s Research & Innovation Center for Graphene and 2D Materials (RIC2D), through its commercial arm spinoff company INTRATOMICS™, and LOLC Advanced Technologies Australia, a subsidiary of the Sri Lanka-based LOLC Group, have announced their collaboration following an agreement on the development of graphene-related products for precision applications.

The joint production of graphene in commercial quantities and development of advanced materials manufacturing marks this phase of the partnership as INTRATOMICS™ and LOLC Advanced Technologies Australia consolidate their roles in this agreement following the earlier MoU signed in August 2023.