X2D
A 2D materials platform empowered by X elemental engineering
X2D is a research platform through to garner projects on 2D materials synthesis and engineering towards nanotechnology applications. X2D emerges as an evolution of the original ERC-CoG grant XFab on the "Xene fabrication for a novel 2D nanotechnology platform" in place from April 2028 to March 2024. The XFab was then paralleled by other aggregated ERC-PoC projects, XMem (2022-23) and TNext (2024- ), concerning with the silicene membranes in flexible electronic devices and tellurene memristors, respectively. Xenes are a relatively new class of 2D elemental materials beyond graphene which includes elements from the group II to the group VI in the periodic table. X2D is more than the follow-up of an ERC project concept, and its ambition is to more generally encompass the development of 2D materials starting from the details of an individual elements. As such, it is the natural target of the past research developed on the materials engineering of transition metal dichalcogenides. In this framework, while we previously investigated the chemical vapor deposition of MoS2 by inducing directional anisotropy by design, more recently we focused on the production of MTe2 (with M=Mo, W, Pt, ...) by governing the Te chemistry during the tellurization of a pre-deposited metal film. This approach paves the way to a phase selection of the nanosheets thereby enabling us to control che electronic character, from a semiconductor (e.g. MoTe2 in the 2H phase) to a metal (e.g. MoTe2 in the 1T' phase) to a Dirac semimetallo (e.g. PtTe2). The X2D platform is so articulated in the main research directions, XFab, XMem, TNext, and MX2, as detailed below.
X2D
an ERC-CoG project on Xene fabrication inspiring other focused projects on specific technologies
an ERC-PoC project on the technology transfer of silicene membranes
an ERC-PoC project on the integration of tellurene in memristors
a framework encompassing the production of transition metal dichalcogenides from the single elemental components
Spotlight
Bendable silicene membranes
Christian et al. drive us into the unprecedented world of a new fashion of atomically thin membranes where silicene is electrically responsive to mechanical solicitations and strain. Now published in Advanced Materials (2023), 35, 2211419
News
Silicene by interface engineering
December 18, 2024
With Erika Kozma from CNR-Scitec leading, we show that silicene nanosheets can be effectively and quickly produced by topotactic deintercalation from CaSi2. See more on the paper by Kozma, Martella, et al, Small 2024.
World's Top 2% Scientists' 2024 List
October 22, 2024
Alessandro within the 2024 World's Top 2% Scientist List released by Elsevier/Stanford University
after being included in the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 lists.
Memristive switching in tellurium
October 1, 2024
Sara, Christian et al show the nanoscale tellurium display non-volatile switching behaviour in memristor cells. Ghomi et al., Advanced Science (2024), 2406703
THz plasmon resonance from topological PtTe2
May 11, 2024
PtTe2 is a Dirac semimetal which can host plasmonic resonance if configured as a meta surfaces. Look at our study by Macis et al., Advanced Materials (2024), 36, 2400554
Alessandro as the RSC 2022 Outstanding Reviewers
March 14, 2023
Alessandro Molle recognised as one of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2022 Outstanding Reviewers for journals Nanoscale Horizons and Nanoscale
Open Positions
Research Grant
Topic: Nanoscale tellurium growth for memristive applications
Duration: 14 months
Call: https://www.urp.cnr.it/node/21291 (deadline: December 19, 2024)
Contact: Alessandro Molle
PhD Thesis
Topic: Molecular beam epitaxy of 2D elementary materials (Xenes)
Topic: Synthesis of interface engineered Xenes and in situ characterization (STM, Raman)
Contact: Alessandro Molle
Call for MSc Thesis
List of Topics:
Scanning tunneling microscopy investigation of Xenes grown by molecular beam epitaxy;
Molecular beam epitaxy of Xene layers and heterostructures;
Chemical vapor deposition of transition metal dichalcogenides for nanoelectronics;
Chemical vapor deposition of 2D materials for THz and far-IR applications;
Processing and nanofabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices based on 2D materials;
Opto-thermo-electrical, chemical and structural characterization of 2D materials.
Staff work-team: Carlo Grazianetti, Christian Martella, Alessio Lamperti, Alessandro Molle
Contact: Alessandro Molle
Upcoming Events
Mon, Jun 26ManchesterJun 26, 2023, 9:00 AM – Jun 30, 2023, 5:00 PMManchester, Manchester, UK
Mon, Jun 26CambridgeJun 26, 2023, 8:00 AM – Jun 30, 2023, 5:00 PMCambridge, Cambridge, UK
Sun, Apr 02ObergurglApr 02, 2023, 12:00 PM – Apr 06, 2023, 12:00 PMObergurgl, 6456 Obergurgl, Austria
Sun, Jul 03EriceJul 03, 2022, 2:00 PM – Jul 09, 2022, 1:00 PMErice, 91016 Erice, Free municipal consortium of Trapani, Italy
Sat, Jun 25Montecatini TermeJun 25, 2022, 7:00 AM – Jun 29, 2022, 11:00 PMMontecatini Terme, 51016 Montecatini Terme, Province of Pistoia, Italy
Sun, May 08HonoluluMay 08, 2022, 8:30 AM – May 13, 2022, 12:30 PMHonolulu, Honolulu, HI, USA
Contacts
CNR-IMM unit of Agrate Brianza,
via C. Olivetti 2, 20864 Agrate Brianza, IT
+39 0396032884