Exotic Layered Materials

2D materials are flat molecules that consist only of surface atoms. Their structure is chemically inert, which is the reason why they do not form bonds with one another. These materials can however be glued together by so called van der Waals forces, forming extremely thin Lego-like layered van der Waals structures. These structures are usually constructed via a process that involves first the separation of individual atom layers from larger crystals by laborious manual means, followed by their manual one by one stacking. In the ELMer project, new 2D materials are synthesized by using a single-step room temperature process, and their structure and properties are studied by means of transmission electron microscopy. To achieve this, 2D materials are grown in between two sheets of individual layers of carbon atoms, also known as graphene. Ultimately, such 2D materials may improve many commonplace technologies that include, for instance, solar cells and batteries for electric vehicles, but also low energy consumption electronics in form of computers, hand held devices, and flat panel displays.