Universal mechanical exfoliation of large-area 2D crystals

Authors

• Yuan Huang, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory
• Yu-Hao Pan, Renmin University of China
• Rong Yang, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory
• Li-Hong Bao, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Lei Meng, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Hai-Lan Luo, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Yong-Qing Cai, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Guo-Dong Liu, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Wen-Juan Zhao, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Zhang Zhou, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Liang-Mei Wu, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Zhi-Li- Zhu, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Ming Huang, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
• Li-Wei Liu, Beijing Institute of Technology
• Lei Liu, Peking University
• Peng Cheng, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Ke-Hui Wu, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Shi-Bing Tian, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Chang-Zhi Gu, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• You-Guo Shi, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Yan-Feng Guo, Shanghai Tech University
• Zhi Gang Cheng, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Jiang-Ping Hu, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Lin Zhao, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Guan-Hua Yang, Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Eli Sutter, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Peter Sutter, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Ye-Liang Wang, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
• Wei Ji, Renmin University of ChinaFollow
• Xing-Jiang Zhou, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory & University of Chinese Academy of SciencesFollow
• Hong-Jun Gao, Chinese Academy of Sciences & University of Chinese Academy of SciencesFollow

ORCID IDs

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2942-892X

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9925-0450

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9188-4619

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7226-8423

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2689-2807

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9449-6734

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6939-2714

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3301-309X

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5249-6624

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9323-1307

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2020

Citation

(2020)11:2453 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16266-w | www.nature.com/naturecommunications

Comments

The Author(s) 2020

Abstract

Two-dimensional materials provide extraordinary opportunities for exploring phenomena arising in atomically thin crystals. Beginning with the first isolation of graphene, mechanical exfoliation has been a key to provide high-quality two-dimensional materials, but despite improvements it is still limited in yield, lateral size and contamination. Here we introduce a contamination-free, one-step and universal Au-assisted mechanical exfoliation method and demonstrate its effectiveness by isolating 40 types of single-crystalline monolayers, including elemental two-dimensional crystals, metal-dichalcogenides, magnets and superconductors. Most of them are of millimeter-size and high-quality, as shown by transfer-free measure- ments of electron microscopy, photo spectroscopies and electrical transport. Large sus- pended two-dimensional crystals and heterojunctions were also prepared with high-yield. Enhanced adhesion between the crystals and the substrates enables such efficient exfoliation, for which we identify a gold-assisted exfoliation method that underpins a universal route for producing large-area monolayers and thus supports studies of fundamental properties and potential application of two-dimensional materials.