Two-dimensional materials for electronic, photonic, spintronic and sensing applications

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are a broad family of layered crystals characterized by strong intra-layer bonds, but with weak inter-layer coupling dominated by van der Waals forces. These characteristics allow 2D materials to be either exfoliated or grown with atom-scale thickness. A wide range of 2D materials exist [1], including graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), black phosphorus (BP) and many others. While these materials have generated a great deal of excitement in the scientific community, many of the applications where these materials can truly provide a benefit compared to state-of-the-art solutions remain unclear. Here, I will describe our work on 2D materials, and will specifically describe how we have attempted to identify applications for which these materials are best suited.