FLEET Enabling technology A — Atomically-thin materials
FLEET three research themes are heavily enabled by novel atomically thin materials, including topological materials (Research Theme 1) and atomically thin semiconductors (as hosts for excitons in Research Theme 2, and for realising non-equilibrium topological phenomena in Research Theme 3).
Additionally novel substrate materials with electric and magnetic ordering are needed to provide strong control of the properties of atomically thin materials. To provide these materials, FLEET will draw on extensive expertise in materials synthesis in Australia and internationally, from bulk crystals to thin films to atomically thin layer.
Atomically-thin materials news
Could long-distance interactions between individual molecules forge a new way to compute? Interactions between individual molecules on a metal surface extend for surprisingly large distances – up to several nanometers. A new study, just published, of the changing shape of electronic states induced by these interactions, has potential future application in the use of molecules as individually addressable units. For …
While COVID19 has temporarily halted the visits that traditionally spark and fuel international research collaborations, we continue to find new ways to connect. A new series of talks by US and Australian researchers presents novel developments in condensed matter and cold atomic physics, enriching connections between the two physics communities. The US-Australia Transpacific Colloquium series | attendance is open to everyone Upcoming …
Spin-filtering could be the key to faster, more energy-efficient switching in future spintronic technology, allowing the detection of spin by electrical rather than magnetic means. A paper published last month by researchers at UNSW and international collaborators demonstrates spin detection using a spin filter to separate spin orientation according to their energies. Ultra-fast, ultra-low energy ‘spintronic’ devices are an exciting, …
new thermoelectric materials could unlock body-heat powered personal devices, such as wrist-watches A new University of Wollongong study overcomes a major challenge of thermoelectric materials, which can convert heat into electricity and vice versa, improving conversion efficiency by more than 60%. Current and potential future applications range from low-maintenance, solid-state refrigeration to compact, zero-carbon power generation, which could include small, …
Multiferroic BFO’s unique magnetic and electrical properties offer possible ultra-low energy data storage A new UNSW study comprehensively reviews the magnetic structure of the multiferroic material bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3 – BFO). The review advances FLEET’s search for low-energy electronics, bringing together current knowledge on the magnetic order in BFO films, and giving researchers a solid platform to further develop this …
Moore’s law is an empirical suggestion describing that the number of transistors doubles every few years in integrated circuits (ICs). However, Moore’s law has started to fail as transistors are now so small that the current silicon-based technologies are unable to offer further opportunities for shrinking. One possibility of overcoming Moore’s law is to resort to two-dimensional semiconductors. These two-dimensional materials …
International collaboration reviews future data-storage technology that steps ‘beyond binary’, storing more data than just 0s and 1s Electronic data is being produced at a breath-taking rate. The total amount of data stored in data centres around the globe is of the order of ten zettabytes (a zettabyte is a trillion gigabytes), and we estimate that amount doubles every couple …
Adding calcium to graphene creates an extremely-promising superconductor, but where does the calcium go? Adding calcium to a composite graphene-substrate structure creates a high transition-temperature (Tc) superconductor. In a new study, an Australian-led team has for the first time confirmed what actually happens to those calcium atoms: surprising everyone, the calcium goes underneath both the upper graphene sheet and a …
Quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE)-materials reviewed Magnetic topological insulators and spin-gapless semiconductors A collaboration across three FLEET nodes has reviewed the fundamental theories underpinning the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). QAHE is one of the most fascinating and important recent discoveries in condensed-matter physics. It is key to the function of emerging ‘quantum’ materials, which offer potential for ultra-low energy …
—Written by Dr Iolanda di Bernardo, FLEET/Monash An Australian-led study uses a scanning-tunnelling microscope ‘trick’ to map electronic structure in Na3Bi, seeking an answer to that material’s extremely high electron mobility. In studying the topological Dirac semimetal, the team found that exchange and correlation effects are crucial to electron speed, and therefore mobility, and thus to the use of this …
There’s more to glass than meets the eye. Glasses, which are disordered materials with no long-range chemical order, have some mysterious properties that have remained enigmatic for several decades. Amongst these are the anomalous vibrational states that contribute to the heat capacity at low temperature. Early researchers established that these states obey Bose-Einstein statistics, and the name stuck, so today …
Record output power obtained from piezoelectric, atomically-thin material Remarkable synthesis advance for materials such as tin-monosulfide (group IV monochalcogenides), which are predicted to exhibit strong piezoelectricity Potential materials for future wearable electronics and other motion-powered, energy-harvesting devices RMIT-UNSW collaboration applies liquid-metal synthesis to piezoelectrics, advancing future flexible, wearable electronics, and biosensors drawing their power from the body’s movements. Materials such …
Spin-gapless semiconductors (SGSs) are a new class of zero-gap materials, with fully spin polarized electrons and holes. SGSs bridge the zero-gap materials and half-metals Material’s fascinating spin and charge states hold great potential for future spintronic technology. A University of Wollongong team has published an extensive review of spin-gapless semiconductors (SGSs) . Spin gapless semiconductors (SGSs) are a new class …
‘Twisted’ layers of 2D materials produce photonic topological transition at ‘magic’ rotation angles Principles of Moire-pattern bilayer graphene applied to 2D material photonics for first time Monash researchers are part of an international collaboration applying ‘twistronics’ concepts (the science of layering and twisting 2D materials to control their electrical properties) to manipulate the flow of light in extreme ways. The …
A recent FLEET homescience exercise explained how simple geometric patterns printed on transparency (‘overhead projector sheets’, to those of us old enough to remember such technology), and overlaid at varying angles, produced a combined ‘Moire’ pattern of varying dimensions. Two sheets of repeating squares produces a Moire pattern of larger squares. Two sheets of repeating triangles produces a Moire pattern …
An international FLEET collaboration publishing a review of atomically-thin ‘high temperature’ superconductors finds that each has a common driving mechanism: interfaces. The team, including researchers from the University of Wollongong, Monash University and Tsinghua University (Beijing), found that interfaces between materials were the key to superconductivity in all systems examined. The enhancement of superconductivity at interfaces (interface superconductivity enhancement effect) …
FLEET Partner Investigator Kirrily Rule (ANSTO) introduced an audience of over 100 to the use of neutron scattering in material analysis last week, in a live-streamed seminar co-hosted with the Australian Institute of Physics. Neutron scattering is a powerful tool for investigating the structure and dynamics of condensed matter systems. In particular the magnetic spin of the neutron can interact …
Phonon-polaritons in layered crystals have peculiar properties where they occur at the boundary between materials. In a new study led from UNSW, phonon-polaritons were studied in thin-layer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) by combined scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Prof Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh’s multidisciplinary group at UNSW combined scattering-SNOM single-wavelength imaging and broadband scattering IR …
Superfluids were first discovered as a special quantum state of liquid helium, later dubbed as “Superfluid helium” once chilled past -269 degree celsius, starts to manifest properties that do not occur in other fluids. Penetration through a solid with nano-pores is one of the three fascinating macroscopic phenomena that are well known in superfluids such as liquid helium. It is …
Since their discovery in 2006, topological insulators have been widely discussed as a promising avenue for energy efficient electronics. Their unique high mobility edge states have a form of “quantum armour” that protects them from electron-scattering events that would otherwise produce waste heat. Unfortunately, practical applications of topological insulators have been severely limited by the small electronic bandgaps in most …
Forget the laboratory, substances that can solve environmental problems by capturing carbon dioxide, decontaminating water and cleaning up pollutants can be easily created in a kitchen, a UNSW Sydney study shows. In a paper published today in Nature Communications, UNSW chemical engineers shone a light on the mysterious world of liquid metals and their role as catalysts to speed up chemical …
Molecular self-assembly on a metal results in high-density 2D organic (carbon-based) quantum dot array with electric-field-controllable charge state Organic molecules used as nano-sized building blocks in fabrication of functional nanomaterials The achieved densities of the 2D organic quantum-dot arrays are an order of magnitude larger than conventional inorganic systems. A Monash University experimental study has fabricated a self-assembled, carbon-based nanofilm …
First observation of excitonic insulator New exotic state was first predicted in 1960s A University of Wollongong / Monash University collaboration has found evidence of a new phase of matter predicted in the 1960s: the excitonic insulator. The unique signatures of an excitonic insulating phase were observed in antimony Sb(110) nanoflakes. The findings provide a novel strategy to search for …
Oxidation of monolayer WS2 in ambient requires exposure to light, and keeping samples in darkness can protect from oxidation Routine exposure to room lights (days) or light microscopes can cause significant oxidation, suggesting wide reaching implications for current and future studies of monolayer S-TMDs To protect monolayer semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides (S-TMDs) from oxidation, they must be entirely shielded from …
FLEET’s goal is to achieve 30% representation of women at all levels across FLEET. To begin to move towards this goal, we needed innovative approaches that would allow us to begin ‘shifting the dial’. One innovative initiative that has met with success was FLEET’s new women-only Fellowships, offered in multiple locations, and across all fields of study in the Centre. …
Molybdenum based compounds could provide key to hydrogen production for future zero-emissions energy RMIT/Monash collaboration opens promising route towards alkaline hydrogen production A FLEET study combining experimental expertise at RMIT with theoretical modelling at Monash University opens a new route towards efficient, cost-effective production of hydrogen. Researchers discovered that ammonium-doped, hexagonal molybdenum oxide (MoO3) displays extremely promising electronic and material …
Iron-doping of the topological insulator Sb2Te3 results in useful electronic and magnetic properties, quantified in a recent FLEET study at the University of Wollongong. The researchers studied the magneto-transport properties of an iron-doped topological insulator (Fe–Sb2Te3). After the material is doped via the addition of iron, its electronic structure changes significantly: multiple response frequencies emerge, in contrast to the single …
Welcome new AI Laurent Bellaiche Welcome to Prof Laurent Bellaiche, whose ongoing research collaborations with FLEET are recognised by him becoming a Centre Scientific Associate Investigator. At the University of Arkansas (US), Prof Bellaiche leads first-principles-based theoretical studies of ferroelectrics, magnetic compounds, multiferroics and other semiconductors. He has co-authored over 310 refereed journal articles, his publications have been cited more …
Dr Dmitry Efimkin (right) is a Scientific Associate Investigator at Monash University specialising in novel materials such as Dirac materials, graphene and topological insulators, and optical phenomena in solids. Within FLEET, Dmitry works with CIs Michael Fuhrer, Meera Parish, and Nikhil Medhekar in Research theme 2: exciton superfluids and Enabling technology A: atomically-thin materials, studying optical and collective phenomena in …
* Two-dimensional magnetism reviewed in new, collaborative review A collaborative FLEET study has reviewed recent progress in 2D ferromagnetism, and predict new, possible 2D ferromagnetic materials. The study also introduces possible applications of atomically-thin ferromagnets in novel dissipationless electronics, spintronics, and other conventional magnetic technologies. The scientists propose a new method of observing 2D ferromagnetism that could reveal new materials. …
FLEET’s fruitful relationship with Tsinghua University (Beijing) has been expanded, with the Centre welcoming two new Partner Investigators to lead research collaborations. Prof Shuyun Zhou studies the electronic structure of novel two-dimensional materials and heterostructures using advanced electron spectroscopic tools, including angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), spin-resolved ARPES, nano-ARPES and ultrafast, time-resolved ARPES. She has made important progress on the electronic structure …
Monash University engineers have unlocked the door to earlier detection of cancer with a world-first study identifying a potential new testing method that could save millions of lives. Researchers found that a sensor using new, more sensitive materials to look for key markers of disease in the body increased detection by up to 10,000 times. Associate Professor Qiaoliang Bao from …
Significant step toward future topological electronics The first electric field-switchable topological material Topological transistors would be an ultra-low energy , beyond CMOS solution to ICT energy use after the end of Moore’s Law Over the last decade, there has been much excitement about the discovery, recognised by the Nobel Prize in Physics only two years ago, that there are two …
FLEET researchers have designed a rapid nano-filter that can clean dirty water over 100 times faster than current technology. Simple to make and simple to scale up, the technology harnesses naturally occurring nano-structures of aluminium hydroxide that grow on liquid metal gallium. The researchers behind the innovation at RMIT University and UNSW have shown it can filter both heavy metals …
The discovery of new ferroelectric properties in the novel, layered material Indium(III) selenide (β’-In2Se3) enhances this material’s candidacy for non-volatile memory and low-power electronic and optoelectronic switches. FLEET researchers at Monash University and UNSW were on the Australian-Chinese team that confirmed in-plane ferroelectricity in the material, β’-phase In2Se3. In2Se3 belongs to a class of layered materials known as van der Waals …
First ever large-scale 2D surface deposition of piezoelectric material Simple, inexpensive technique opens new fields for piezo-sensors & energy harvesting Researchers have developed a revolutionary method to ‘print’ large-scale sheets of two dimensional piezoelectric material, opening new opportunities for piezo-sensors and energy harvesting. Importantly, the inexpensive process allows the integration of piezoelectric components directly onto silicon chips. Until now, no …
New materials inspired by nature could be key to future electronics Self-assembled nanostructures have atomically-precise structure and tailored electronic properties Bio organisms are the most-complex machines we know, and are capable of achieving demanding functions with great efficiency. A common theme in these bio-machines is that everything important happens at the level of single molecules – that is, at the …
Why 2D? What is it about two-dimensional materials that makes them so interesting for FLEET? FLEET UNSW/Wollongong collaboration finds transition point from 3D to 2D properties Constraining the movement of charge carriers (electrons or holes) to two dimensions unlocks unusual quantum properties, resulting in useful electronic properties. Although we refer to the layers within such materials as ‘2D’, they are …
Discovery has potential applications in artificial muscles, soft robotics and microfluidic circuitry In a breakthrough discovery, University of Wollongong (UOW) researchers have created a “heartbeat” effect in liquid metal, causing the metal to pulse rhythmically in a manner similar to a beating heart. Their findings are published in the 11 July issue of Physical Review Letters, the world’s premier journal …
FLEET PhD student Rebecca Orrell-Trigg (RMIT) uses liquid metals to synthesise 2D (atomically thin) materials for use in future ultra-low energy electronic devices. Late last year they developed a liquid metal “bubbling” method that was described as “ground breaking”, and have since refined this method to make it even more widely applicable. Rebecca’s interview covered the advantages of the new …
Last year, FLEET researchers at RMIT developed a ground-breaking new method of depositing atomically-thin (two-dimensional) crystals using molten metals, described as a ‘once-in-a-decade’ advance. Earlier this year, the same research team expanded the new method from controlled to ambient conditions, and has properly characterised the growth mechanisms for key tin oxides, which should allow improved control of target oxide growth. …
A variety of methods exist to deposit atomically-thin (two-dimensional) crystals. But large-scale deposition has remained a challenge. However a recent RMIT-led study has found success with a new technique with potential to open new doors for two-dimensional semiconductors. The discovery has been described as a ‘once-in-a-decade’ advance. The new technique introduces room-temperature liquid metals (gallium-based) as a successful reaction environment …
FLEET features in this month’s annual ‘nano’ edition of the Australian Manufacturing Tech magazine. The article looks at growth of atomically thin and other novel materials and nanofabrication, with a particular focus on partnerships. Atomically thin material projects presented include semiconductor fabrication at RMIT University (Lan Wang) and the University of Wollongong (Xiaoliang Wang) and molecular beam epitaxy (Mark Edmonds …
A University of Wollongong study has tightened the search for materials that would allow for ultra-fast, ultra-low energy ‘spintronic‘ electronics with no wasted dissipation of energy from electrical conduction. Spintronics is an emerging field of electronic study in which the ‘spin’ of electrons (their intrinsic angular momentum) is used in addition to their charge. Conventional electronics and information technology are …
A barrier to practical spintronic devices has been lowered as room-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors created in an international collaboration involving FLEET’s Xiaolin Wang. While semiconductor spintronics promise lower switching energy and faster speed, a major limitation on its development as a viable technology is the lack of room temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor materials. A collaborative study between researchers from two Chinese universities …
Researchers in Enabling technology A – Atomically-thin materials
