The chemical similarity of molybdenum & tungsten suggests they should randomly distribute in WxMo1-xS2, a material of great interest for next-generation elec-tronics. The 2DCC discovered that these atoms actually form thin chains, whose very different masses make properties like heat conduction anisotropic. Stripes form due to fluctuations in the availability of sulfur, the third element in WxMo1-xS2. Paradoxically, the disorder of random sulfur variations produces ordered stripes of metal. Such ‘order from disorder’ could be a general way to create atomic order in 2D materials, extending to the 2D domain the types of structures known from 3D semiconductor as “quantum wells.”
2D Crystal Consortium - Materials Innovation Platform (2DCC-MIP)
The 2DCC-MIP combines a vibrant in-house research effort focused on transformative advances in the synthesis and characterization of 2D chalcogenide layered materials with a robust external user program that provides access to expertise and state-of-the-art facilities. The 2DCC-MIP platform enables cutting edge research and discovery, across in-house research and the user program, on the synthesis and characterization of 2D chalcogenide materials by a national user community guided by four science drivers: Physics of 2D Systems, Epitaxy of 2D Chalcogenides, Next-generation 2D Electronics, and Advanced Characterization and Modeling.