Atomic substitution approach for electronic non-vdW 2D materials

Atomically thin materials often exhibit extraordinary chemical, optical, electronic, and magnetic properties compared with their bulk 3D counterparts, enabling a variety of applications for next generation electronics and quantum information technologies. While extensive research has been conducted on 2D van der Waals (vdW) materials such as graphene and Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs), little attention has been given to non vdW materials, which make up most materials in nature. One significant challenge is the lack of an effective synthesis method to access them. In this talk, I will introduce an atomic substitution approach that we have developed to convert vdW layered materials to nanometer thin non vdW materials with tunable thicknesses, desired dimensions, and properties for fundamental physics investigations and nanodevices. As a model system, we will investigate the conversion process from TMDs (e.g. MoS2 and WS2) to corresponding metal nitrides (e.g. MoNx and WNx), characterize the electronic properties of the obtained metal nitrides, and highlight the advantages of this approach in creating new 2D heterostructures as desired building blocks for 2D electronics.