Silicon-based electronics are approaching their physical limitations and new materials are needed to keep up with current technological demands. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have a rich array of properties, including superconductivity and magnetism, and are promising candidates for use in electronic systems, such as transistors. However, precisely controlling the properties of these materials is extraordinarily difficult.
In an effort to understand how and why 2D interfaces take on the structures they do, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a method to visualize the thermally-induced rearrangement of 2D materials, atom-by-atom, from twisted to aligned structures using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). They observed a new and unexpected mechanism for this process where a new grain was seeded within one monolayer, whose structure was templated by the adjacent layer. Being able to control the macroscopic twist between layers allows for more control over the properties of the entire system.
This research, led by materials science & engineering professor Pinshane Huang and postdoctoral researcher Yichao Zhang, was recently published in the journal Science Advances.
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