Two-Dimensional Metals Over, Inside, or Beneath Templates

Abstract: Two-dimensional (2D) metals have drawn great attention because of their extraordinary properties, especially in applications that favor van der Waals interaction. The development of advanced characterization tools has facilitated the understanding of formation or growth mechanisms of 2D metals. In this perspective, we discuss 5 common approaches to obtaining 2D metals, including, (top down) van der Waals squeezing and selective extraction, and (bottom up) electron beam-induced growth, self-assembly, and graphene-templated wet chemistry growth. The future opportunities are proposed in the summary section. Furthermore, challenges and problems such as thermodynamic stability and scalability in 2D material growth are proposed for the community to tackle. Funding: National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFB3210400); Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province for Excellent Young Scholars (YQ2022041); Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (grant no. CSTB2024NSCQ-MSX0971); National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 52071225); European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement no. 101087143 [Electron Beam Emergent Additive Manufacturing (EBEAM)]; REFRESH—Research Excellence For REgion Sustainability and High-tech Industries project no. CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000048 via the Operational Programme Just Transition; Key Research and Development Program of Jiangsu Province (BE2023009-2).