Beyond Graphene: Low Symmetry and Anisotropic 2D Materials

Next-generation two-dimensional materials have atomistic structures that are more complex than graphene's and hexagonal boron nitride's honeycomb lattices. The reduced symmetries of these novel materials give rise to inhomogeneous materials properties (such as electron, thermal, valley and spin transport as well as optical responses), as well as entirely new properties such as ferroelasticity, ferroelectricity, spin-wave phenomena, large nonlinear optical response, photogalvanic effects, and superconductivity. Novel electronic topological properties, nonlinear elastic properties and structural phase transformations also take place due to low symmetry. This Special Topic is intended to bring together researchers working or seeking to work on these novel materials.

Guest Editors: Salvador Barraza-Lopez, Fengnian Xia, Wenjuan Zhu, and Han Wang