Two-Dimensional Materials and Heterostructures Under Strain

Mechanical strain is a potent means of customizing material properties or designing new device functionalities. Two-dimensional (2D) materials represent both the ultimate limit of mechanically stable atomic membranes and electrically active quantum materials, allowing them to undergo unique 3D deformations and strain. This Special Topic showcases recent progress in engineered strain within 2D materials, quasi-2D thin films, and heterostructures. This will include modeling, metrology, and fabrication approaches to quantify and design strain, explorations of how strain disrupts symmetry to trigger phase transitions and modulate properties, and demonstrations of systems which actively utilize strain to induce functionality.

Guest Editors: Arend van der Zande, J. Scott Bunch, Stephen Wu, Kirill Bolotin