2D Materials

In 2004, a notable discovery was made by Novoselov and Geim who successfully extracted a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice from bulk graphite. This work resulted in the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Graphene, a single-layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, is the thinnest known material in the universe and possesses many extraordinary properties. There are currently more than 300 examples of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials that range from insulators to semiconductors to metals and even to superconductors. Atomically thin 2D layered structures are a class of new materials that exhibit a wide range of interesting features and properties for various applications.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), layered metal oxides, and double hydroxides are typical 2D layered materials that have attracted increasing research interest over the past several years. Research on graphene-like 2D nanomaterials is growing rapidly and further enriched the exploration of other ultrathin 2D family members such as metal–organic frameworks, covalent–organic frameworks (COFs), polymers, noble metals, MXenes and elemental layered materials. In recent years, 2D nanosheets of monoelemental materials — phosphorene, antimonene, silicene, arsenene, borophene, germanene, stanene and plumbene — have been actively explored. Great progress has been made into 2D materials research, but there are still a lot remained to be explored.

In our group, we aim to combine our background in chemistry, physics, engineering and nanotechnology to develop novel and facile strategies to produce solution processable 2D materials. We are interested in studying the fundamental chemical, physical, optical and electronic properties of 2D materials and explore functionalization opportunities to fine-tune these properties for various applications such as solar cells and catalysis.

Adv Funct Mater., 2022, 32, 2107280.