Invited Paper GR-WeM5
Controlled Synthesis of Heterostructures of 2D Materials

Wednesday, October 30, 2013, 9:20 am, Room 104 B

The ability to combine materials in heterostructures with controlled interfaces has become one of the foundations of modern materials science. Two-dimensional (2D) crystals, such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and a family of metal dichalcogenides, represent a new class of systems that offer unique opportunities for materials integration. Heterostructures that combine different 2D materials in layer stacks or as several tightly interfaced components in a single, atomically thin membrane promise tunable properties and extended functionality, and raise fundamental questions on interface formation, intermixing, strain, polarity, etc., in a new context at reduced dimensionality.

I will discuss recent advances in developing the synthesis and processing of heterostructures of 2D materials on metal substrates, derived primarily from real-time observations by surface electron microscopy, complemented by high-resolution scanning probe microscopy and in-situ spectroscopy. Focusing on the integration of graphene [1,2] with hexagonal boron nitride [3], I will discuss progress toward meeting key challenges in the controlled formation of 2D heterostructures: Atomically precise thickness and stacking control in superlattices [4], and the creation of atomically sharp line interfaces in heterogeneous monolayer membranes [5]. Our combined findings establish a powerful toolset for the scalable fabrication of 2D heterostructures for research and applications.

References

[1] P. Sutter, J.I. Flege, and E. Sutter, Nat. Mater. 7, 406 (2008).

[2] P. Sutter and E. Sutter, Adv. Funct. Mater. (2013), DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201203426 and references therein.

[3] P. Sutter, J. Lahiri, P. Albrecht, and E. Sutter, ACS Nano 5, 730 (2011).

[4] P. Sutter, J. Lahiri, P. Zahl, B. Wang, and E. Sutter, Nano Lett. 13, 276 (2013) .

[5] P. Sutter, R. Cortes, J. Lahiri, and E. Sutter, Nano Lett. 12, 4869 (2012).