Researchers found that graphene performs ten times better than metal in transmitting a photoinduced current across interfaces with 2D semiconductors. Nanoscale-resolution band-structure measurements provided a deeper understanding of charge transport in these systems and will help in engineering more efficient contacts. Read more »
The Flat Band in Magic-Angle Graphene Visualized
Researchers visualized flat band structures associated with exotic electronic phases in stacked graphene layers offset from each other by a “magic angle.” The work corroborates theoretical predictions and has significant implications for phenomena of technological and fundamental interest, such as topological phases and superconductivity. Read more »
A Scalable Platform for Two-Dimensional Metals
Using a new method for stabilizing a two-dimensional (2D) metal on a large-area platform, researchers probed the origins of the material’s superconductivity. The work represents a notable milestone in advancing 2D materials toward broad applications in topological computing, advanced optics, and molecular sensing. Read more »
Elusive Kagome Electronic Structures Revealed
Electronic-structure studies showed that both infinitely light and infinitely massive particles coexist in a material with a star-shaped (kagome) crystal lattice. The material’s rich array of electronic behaviors shows promise for future spintronic applications and represents a new frontier for studying exotic phases of matter. Read more » 
A Nanoscale View of Defect Effects on Band Structure
In the first comprehensive study at the ALS involving nanoARPES, researchers probed the electronic effects of defects in monolayer tungsten disulfide at the nanoscale. The extremely small scale of the measurements makes nanoARPES a great discovery tool that will be particularly useful for understanding new materials as they are invented. Read more »
Scientists Take a Deep Dive Into the Imperfect World of 2D Materials
Researchers combined a toolbox of techniques to home in on natural, nanoscale defects formed in the manufacture of monolayer WS2, measuring their electronic effects in detail not possible before. The latest result marks the first comprehensive study at the ALS involving nanoARPES, which researchers enlisted to probe the 2D samples with x-rays. Read more »
The Electronic Structure of a “Kagome” Material
Scientists have verified exotic electronic properties predicted to emerge in a ferromagnetic material with “kagome” (trihexagonal) lattice symmetry. The greater understanding of kagome materials afforded by this work helps open up a new path toward goals such as ultralow-power electronic devices and quantum computing. Read more »
Tuning the Electronic Structure of a 2D Material
The electronic structure of a stacked 2D material was tuned by in situ electron doping, resulting in a large increase in the splitting of two valence bands. Stacked 2D materials possess an array of tunable properties that are expected to be important for future applications in electronics and optics. Read more »
X-Ray Experiments Suggest High Tunability of 2D Material
Using the new MAESTRO platform at the ALS, scientists found that the exotic behavior of electrons in the 2D semiconductor, WS2, may be highly tunable, with possible applications for electronics and other forms of information storage, processing, and transfer. Read more »
The Mystery of the Lightweight Electrons
Copper oxides are important for superconductivity applications but are difficult to understand due to complex charge, spin, and orbital interactions. Now, studies at the ALS have found such a system in which observations of effective electron mass are at odds with state-of-the-art electronic-structure calculations. Read more »