In the ever-evolving world of technology, the quest for novel devices is relentless. To support the development of next-generation devices, new materials with rich physical and chemical properties are essential.

In light of this, Professor Daniel Lau Shu-ping, Chair Professor of Nanomaterials and Head of the Department of Applied Physics, has proposed generating a library of materials with specific properties to screen for those with significant development potential. This ambitious initiative has recently garnered support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Research Grants Council (RGC) Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS) 2024/25, securing approximately HK$3.55 million in funding.

New insights for future computing devices

The material in question is named “vdW heterobilayers”, produced by stacking different 2D materials in layers through van der Waals (vdW) forces to form new properties and usages. As discovered in Professor Lau’s previous research, 2D vdW heterobilayers show immense potential in various electronic applications. With the development of multifunctional 2D polarised electronics, they can further support the next generation of low-power dissipation, high-density memory and integrated circuits, revolutionising the fields of nanoelectronics, photonics, and spintronics.

Unlike the current trial-and-error approach in exploring new materials, the significance of the project lies in developing a simulation model to accelerate the screening of a large number of 2D vdW materials for further experimental evaluation, providing a solid database of such materials. “The results of our work may provide new insights into building high-density and energy-efficient next-generation non-volatile memory and in-memory computing devices,” Professor Lau remarked.

The funded project, titled “A Library of Polarized Van Der Waals Heterobilayers: From Prediction to Realization”, is led by Professor Daniel Lau in collaboration with Professor Ji Wei, Chair Professor of Renmin University of China.