The mission of 2D Materials Engineering is to synthesize, investigate, and tailor two-dimensional materials and their heterostructures to pave the way for a new era of transparent and flexible technology. The discovery of graphene has led to a resurgence of interest in other two-dimensional materials, and an ever-growing portfolio of atomic sheets, (such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and layered oxides) is being actively theoretically and experimentally studied. Van der Waals heterostructures are built much like “Lego” at an atomic-scale, by vertically stacking 2D layered materials.
Today we can envision flexible and transparent electronic devices with an h-BN dielectric, a TMD semiconductor and graphene electrodes. Devices such as these would have been considered science fiction only a few years ago, but today are within reach. Opportunely designed material stacks are expected to exhibit unprecedented electronic, optical and magnetic properties.
We synthesize via chemical vapour deposition (CVD) highly-crystalline 2D materials and their heterostacks and adopt advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques for investigating their fundamental properties. We tailor the structural, electronic, and optical properties of layered materials by devising and implementing different functionalization and intercalation approaches. Our ultimate goal is to realize a new class of devices based on 2d materials for photonic, optoelectronic and biomedical applications
2D Materials Engineering
Laboratories
Our labs are equipped with state of the art tools for the growth and characterization of 2D materials. Growth Lab: 2 PE-CVD (BM, Aixtron) for graphene growth (on metals and insulators); 2 Furnaces (Lenton) for TMDs synthesis. Characterization Lab: Raman spectroscopy (InVia, Renishaw); atomic force microscopy (AFM+, Anasys); Hall measurement system (HMS-3000, Ecopia) and probe station for electrical measurements; 2D materials transfer setup; Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (Scienta Omicron) equipped with UHV AFM and LEED. Access to NEST laboratories: ISO 7 cleanroom facility, scanning electron microscopes, transmission electron microscope, chemistry laboratory.
Collaborations
IIT
- Graphene Labs and sponsored by the EC under the Graphene Flagship.
National and International
- A. Tredicucci (Italy)
- M. Romagnoli (Italy)
- U. Starke (MPI-Stuttgart, Germany)
- I. Gierz (MPI-Hamburg, Germany)
- J-H. Ahn (Yonsei University, South Korea)
- F. Koppens (ICFO, Spain)
- A. Ferrari (UCAM, UK)
- P. Bøggild (DTU, Denmark)
- K. Teo (AIXTRON Ltd)
- P. Galli (Nokia System Networks Italia)
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