2D Crystals beyond van der Waals Materials

Atomically thin crystals (also known as two-dimensional (2D) materials) have been considered potential candidates to expand the forefront of semiconductor technology, towards or potentially beyond Moore’s law, due to their unprecedented properties. Conventionally, single layers of van der Waals (vdW) bulk materials (e.g. graphite) serve as the source of 2D materials (e.g. graphene). Recently, the 2D family are expanding beyond the conventional vdW 2D materials to the ultrathin crystals whose bulk are atomically bonded in three-dimensional (3D) modes, such as metal nitrides and oxides, and artificial 2D materials such as metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs). At this early stage, synthesizing them with desired features and quality for electronic devices remains a great challenge with conventional synthetic strategies. In the first part of my talk, I will introduce our work on the synthesis of non-vdW metal nitrides through atomic substitution of layered metal chalcogenides. Their potential roles in enhancing the device performances will also be discussed. The second part will focus on 2D metal oxides and their heterostructures with MXenes for electrochromic devices. The last part of the talk will discuss our recent progress on the synthesis of ultra-long range ordered MOFs. 

References: 
1.    Cao et al., Science Advances, 2020, 6(2), eaax8784.
2.    Li et al., Nature Communication, 2021, 12:1587