Ten years ago, the exfoliation of graphene started the field of layered two-dimensional materials. Today, there is a huge variety of two-dimensional materials available for both research and applications. The different dimensionality compared to their bulk relatives is responsible for a wealth of novel properties of these layered two-dimensional materials.

The true strength of two-dimensional materials is however the possibility to stack different layers on top of each other to engineer new heterostructures with specifically tailored properties. Known as van-der-Waals heterostructures, they enable the experimental observation of a variety of new phenomena.

By patterning the individual layers laterally into nanostructures, additional functionality can be added to the devices. This review provides a glimpse at the future opportunities offered by van-der-Waals stacked nanodevices.

Read full text on ScienceDirect

DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2016.02.021