KIST: Solution to the “2D Material Heterogeneous Synthesis Problem” Is Finally Here

SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Korea Ministry of Science and ICT have announced the development of a technology to solve the problems of 2D material synthesis.

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Joo song Lee (left) and Dr Soo Min Kim (right) from KIST are testing the synthesized single crystalline 2-dimensional material wafer. (Photo: Business Wire)

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a 2D insulating material composed of nitrogen and boron, was successfully synthesized as a large-area single-crystal film

This research was achieved by the collaboration work between Dr. Soo Min Kim (Korea Institute of Science and Technology, KIST), Professor Young Hee Lee (Department of Energy Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Institute for Basic Science, IBS), and Professor Ki Kang Kim (Department of Energy and Materials Engineering, Dongguk University).

Single-crystalline 2D materials are considered to be key materials for next-generation transparent electronic devices. However, the large-area hBN film developed by the conventional synthesis method is mostly polycrystal, with incomplete atomic bonding between nitrogen and boron, resulting in deteriorated insulating characteristics.

The researchers looked at the fact that precursors can easily adsorb and migrate on the liquid gold surfaces. The grown circular hBN grains randomly rotate, generating an electrical mutual attraction between the nitrogen and boron atoms and subsequently merge. This “self-collimation of hBN grains” led to the growth of large-area single-crystal hBN film.

The single-crystal hBN film served as a suitable growth template for the successful synthesis of other single-crystal 2D materials, such as semi-metallic graphene, semiconducting molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), and tungsten disulfide (WS₂), which has so far not been demonstrated. Furthermore, the defect-free single-crystal hBN is shown to be a highly reliable gas barrier.

This work is not only the development of the world’s first technology to synthesize a single-crystal 2D material composed of heterogeneous elements, but also creates a new research paradigm to revolutionize the development of next-generation transparent electronic devices, gas barriers, sensors, and filters.

Dr. Soo Min Kim said, “This research has opened a new chapter in the development of various 2D material heterostructures by proposing a new method for synthesizing single-crystal 2D materials composed of two elements. Also, currently, we are working on the synthesis and application of large-area 2D single-crystals and heterostructures.”

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), and Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

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