2D Materials

2D materials have attracted significant scientific interest due to their unique properties, often markedly distinct from those of their bulk counterparts, which unlock new opportunities in both fundamental research and technology. Despite considerable progress in the field, key challenges remain, particularly in large-scale synthesis and in understanding the full breadth of their physical properties.

With this new Core Research Area, we bring together existing expertise and ongoing activities on 2D materials across the institute. This initiative strengthens the synergy between complementary research directions and aims to drive more impactful outcomes across the following areas:

Epitaxial growth of 2D materials and their heterostructures
Advanced characterization
Atomistic-scale simulations of growth and properties
Exploration of fundamental properties

CReA Poster 2025

Click the image on the left to view the latest poster from this CReA.

Scientific Highlights

A Common Yardstick: Benchmarking Nonlinear Light Generation Across Four 2D Semiconductors

Transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers (TMDCs) like WS₂ and MoS₂ are prized for their ability to efficiently double the frequency of light, but reported values for this effect vary wildly across studies using different substrates and conditions. This highlight covers new work that puts four TMDCs side by side on the same simple glass platform, situates the results against the existing literature, and delivers a self-consistent benchmark for choosing the right material for nonlinear photonic devices. More…

Third-Party Funded Projects

Selected Publications

2025

Point defects and their dynamic behaviors in silver monolayer intercalated between graphene and SiC
Authors: V. D. Pham, A. Jain, C. Dong, L.-S. Lu, J. A. Robinson, A. Trampert, R. Engel-Herbert
Source: Nano Lett., 26, 2, 5c05763 (2025)
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c05763
Vibration-assisted tunneling through single Au adatoms on two-dimensional WSe₂
Authors: H. Kumar, Y. C. Lin, J. A. Robinson, S. Fölsch
Source: Phys. Rev. B, 112, 085414 (2025)
DOI:10.1103/nfd8-xrc4
Van der Waals epitaxy of 2D gallium telluride on graphene: growth dynamics and principal component analysis
Authors: M. Bissolo, M. Hanke, R. Calarco, J. J. Finley, G. Koblmüller, J. M. J. Lopes, E. Zallo
Source: Small, 21, 2503993 (2025)
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202503993
Above-room-temperature ferromagnetism in large-scale epitaxial Fe3GaTe2/graphene van der Waals heterostructures
Authors: T. Shinwari, K. Khan, H. Lv, A. Abebe Kassa, F. Munnik, S. Josephy, A. Trampert, V. Ukleev, C. Luo, F. Radu, J. Herfort, M. Hanke, J. M. J. Lopes
Source: ACS Nano, 19, 37561-37571 (2025)
DOI:10.1021/acsnano.5c07732