Novel two-dimensional systems: from growth to applications

Research Project, 2016 – 2021

Coordinator: Sergey Kubatkin (SK)1
PIs: Rositsa Yakimova (RY)2, Samuel Lara-Avila (SLA)1, Magnus Skoglundh (MS)3, Jens Eriksson (JE)2, Alex Zakarov (AZ)4 & Karin Larsson (KL)5

1 Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology
2 Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University
3 Competence Centre for Catalysis, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology
4 MAX IV Laboratory and Lund University, 221 00, Lund, Sweden
5 Department of Chemistry – Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University

Two-dimensional (2D) materials display a plethora of phenomena unavailable in 3D crystals. Such a new class of 2D materials is already having a significant impact on basic science and will undoubtedly drive a technological revolution by complementing existing technologies and/or by enabling the development of novel applications.

Among all 2D materials, graphene is by far the most investigated from a science and technology point of view. Nowadays, it is possible to produce it on large scale by methods such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or epitaxial growth on silicon carbide (SiC/G). In particular for the latter one, Sweden remains at the forefront of science and technology of epitaxial graphene since the growth technology of large-area, high quality of this material was pioneered at Linköping University.

While SiC/G has found a number of niche applications, continued technological progress demands novel materials that offer higher performance, special properties and/or complex functionalities. In electronics, a driving force for material exploration is the need for faster, energy efficient and multifunctional devices based on materials with disruptively novel electronic properties; in chemistry, it is the search for resilient materials with more efficient energy conversion schemes in harsh conditions.

In this project we explore the development and performance of novel 2D materials for application in electronics, sensing and catalysis. We identify the well-known wideband semiconductor SiC as the ideal platform to template the growth of novel 2D systems. The rich carbon-SiC system has been studied by surface scientists for decades, and thus its surface chemistry is well-known. In recent years it has been established that the SiC surface enables the growth of a variety of 2D systems (see Fig. 1). Surprisingly, this opportunity has not yet been addressed in an integrated manner before - from growth to devices and applications.

Structurally, the project is divided into 5 workpackages, with the leaders indicated in parenthesis:
WP1 (RY) - growth, characterization, ab initio calculations
WP2 (SLA) - Device fabrication & characterization
WP3 (MS) - Investigation of the catalytic activity of the novel 2D materials
WP4 (JE) - Sensing with novel 2D materials
WP5 (SK) - Coordination.