AFM: An important enabling technology for 2D materials and devices

Abstract The last 20 years have seen remarkable progress in the study of 2D materials leading to the discovery of interesting properties and application potentials. However, there is still much to understand regarding these materials’ physics, mechanics, and chemistry to utilize their full potential and make them useful to society. As a result, many efforts have been dedicated to using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to not only measure and study the properties of the 2D materials but also to assemble 2D materials heterostructures and optimize their properties for better performance. Therefore, this review discusses the various AFM methods that have been employed in this regard. It covers the following areas; the use of AFM to attach 2D materials on the AFM tip to study the interfacial friction and wear, AFM tip-based modification of the chemical and optoelectronic properties of 2D materials, and AFM manipulative scanning for 2D materials repositioning, interface cleaning, and smoothening. This review provides an up-to-date understanding of these new research areas and guides future research plans in 2D layered assembly.