Two-dimensional materials as a multiproperty sensing platform

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have disrupted materials science due to the development of van der Waals technology. It enables the stacking of ultrathin layers of materials characterized by vastly different electronic structures to create man-made heterostructures and devices with rationally tailored properties, circumventing limitations of matching crystal structures, lattice constants, and geometry of constituent materials and supporting substrates. 2D materials exhibit extraordinary mechanical flexibility, strong light-matter interactions driven by their excitonic response, single photon emission from atomic centers, stable ferromagnetism in sub-nm thin films, fractional quantum Hall effect in high-quality devices, and chemoselectivity at ultrahigh surface-to-volume ratio. Consequently, van der Waals heterostructures with atomically flat interfaces demonstrate an unprecedented degree of intertwined mechanical, chemical, optoelectronic, and magnetic properties. This constitutes a foundation for multiproperty sensing, based on complex intra- and intermaterial interactions, and a robust response to external stimuli originating from the environment. Here, we review recent progress in the development of sensing applications with 2D materials, highlighting the areas where van der Waals heterostructures offer the highest sensitivity, simultaneous responses to multiple distinct externalities due to their atomic thickness in conjunction with unique material combinations, and conceptually new sensing methodology.