Atomically thin half van der Waals materials via confinement heteroepitaxy

-Atomically-thin metals Ga, In, and Sn are stabilized at the interface of epitaxial graphene and SiC through confinement heteroepitaxy

-Metal atoms generated via thermal evaporation of metal powders migrate through defects in graphene layers and passivate the surface of SiC

-2D Ga layers exhibit BCS-type superconductivity and enhanced Tc of ~4 K (compared to 2 K in bulk, α-Ga)

-The process of stabilizing 2D superconductors via CHet can be applied to elements beyond p-block metals, opening opportunities to study unconventional properties that enable exploration of new physics and devices.