"Superlattices" of 2D materials hold promise for new electronic devices

Since the discovery of graphene, engineers have become more familiar with the properties of ultra-thin, two-dimensional materials. But the potential applications for these materials have so far depended on the properties of only homogeneous stacks of these layers. Chemists and materials scientists at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed a technique for forming “superlattices” consisting of layers of dissimilar materials. These substances could form the basis for superfast and ultra-efficient transistors in microprocessors, and advanced LEDs and lasers, they claim.

The key to these tailored properties is that unlike current superlattices, where adjacent layers must have very similar atomic structures and therefore electronic properties, the new technique allows radically different structures, properties and functions to be placed next to each other, but without interfering with each other. For example, one layer could allow fast transport of electrons through or across it, while the next layer could be an insulator.