Nanoelectromechanics in van der Waals heterostructures

50多年前，最伟大的物理学家之一理查德·费曼（Richard Feynman）探索了微型化的巨大可能性，并在他的演讲《底部有足够的空间》（Plenty of Room at the Bottom）中简洁地阐述了这些可能性。由于纳米科学和纳米技术的进步，他的愿景现在变成了现实。在过去的40年里，电子化合物的尺寸呈指数级缩小，这将我们带入了一个现代的、全球互联的移动设备世界。此外，电气化机械（微机电系统）的小型化已经彻底改变了传感器和执行器领域。从长远来看，进一步的小型化可能会导致未来的应用，如医疗和工业纳米机器人。在较短的时间内，可穿戴计算机、自供电设备和智能材料领域的颠覆性技术可以预见。尽管纳米机械对学术界和工业界都极具吸引力，但其进一步发展取决于解决重大的技术挑战，如设备可靠性、纳米级运动控制、制造可扩展性等。我相信二维材料和范德华异质结构将彻底改变纳米机电系统的科学和技术，并将有助于克服这些挑战。这项研究旨在加深对纳米尺度上机械和电子自由度耦合的基本理解，并利用最近发现的石墨烯和一类新的合成材料——范德华异质结构——逐层组装单个原子平面的堆叠，设计和制造电气化纳米机器。范德华异质结构是下一代纳米机电系统的理想候选者，因为(i)它们的机械强度和晶体质量非常好；（ii）二维材料是原子薄的，因此它们代表了小型化的最终极限；（iii）该系统中的摩擦可以控制，在适当的条件下导致超润滑——高速无摩擦和无磨损运动等等。有了这笔奖学金，曼彻斯特大学将启动石墨烯/2D材料的新研究领域。研究将集中在二维材料的力学响应与电激励的耦合，反之亦然。曼彻斯特大学目前在石墨烯和其他二维材料的研究方面处于世界领先地位，但该领域的竞争正在迅速增长（特别是在美国和中国），因此对英国研究人员来说，竞争更具挑战性。尽早开始这项工作提供了一个不容错过的独特机会。此外，与曼彻斯特大学国家石墨烯研究所的密切合作将加强这项研究，并将有助于向即将到来的工业合作伙伴提供原型设备和技术。

One of the greatest physicists Richard Feynman more than 50 years ago explored the immense possibilities of miniaturisation and presented them concisely in his talk "Plenty of Room at the Bottom". His vision becomes reality now - thanks to the advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The size of electronic compounds has been reduced exponentially over the past 40 years, which has brought us to a modern, globally interconnected world of mobile devices. Furthermore, miniaturisation of electrified machinery (microelectromechanical systems) has revolutionised the field of sensors and actuators. Further miniaturisation might lead to futuristic applications such as medical and industrial nanorobots in the long term. On a shorter time scale, disruptive technologies in the fields of wearable computers, self-powered devices, and smart materials are foreseen. Although extremely appealing for both academia and industry, further progress in nanomachinery depends on solving the significant technological challenges, such as device reliability, motion control at the nanoscale, manufacturing scalability and so on. I am convinced that 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures will revolutionize science and technology of nanoelectromechanical systems and will help to overcome these challenges. This fellowship aims to deepen fundamental understanding of coupling of mechanical and electronic degrees of freedom at the nanoscale, and to design and fabricate electrified nanomachines using recently discovered graphene and a new class of synthetic materials - van der Waals heterostructures - layer-by-layer assembled stacks of individual atomic planes. Van der Waals heterostructures are the ideal candidates for the next generation of nanoelectromechanical systems because (i) their mechanical strength and the crystal quality are exceptionally good; (ii) 2D materials are atomically thin, hence they represent an ultimate limit of miniaturisation and (iii) friction in this system can be controlled, leading at the right conditions to superlubricity - frictionless and wearless motion at high speed and so on. With this fellowship a new research field in graphene/2D materials will be started at The University of Manchester. The research will be focused on coupling mechanical response of 2D materials with electrical excitation, and vice versa. The University of Manchester currently leads graphene and other 2D materials research worldwide, but the competition in this field is growing rapidly (especially in USA and China), thus making it more challenging for UK researchers to compete later. Starting this work as soon as possible provides the unique opportunity not to be missed. Moreover, close collaboration with National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester will strengthen this research and will help with delivering the prototype devices and technologies to forthcoming industrial partners.