Custom low-dimensional material systems explored from atom to bulk

尽管在发现和表征物质的宏观状态方面取得了很大进展，但在理解这些现象背后的基本机制方面的进展受到了在原子尺度上探测物质以及控制创建具有设计几何形状和化学成分的新材料系统的挑战的阻碍。我的研究计划的目标是开发一个旨在克服这些挑战的创新平台。为此，我打算将物理现象的原子尺度理解与其宏观表现联系起来，结合联合收割机两种强大的方法：1）从货车德瓦尔斯键合材料的原子级薄晶体逐层构建自定义纳米结构，2）使用扫描探针显微镜在原子尺度上表征和控制物质。 这里讨论的材料系统是最近发现的，它们为我们提供了一个突破性发现的机会，这些发现源于电子被限制在低维时发生的新现象。由于创新技术具有利用新物理现象发现的历史，因此此类材料在能源，光子学，传感等领域的应用前景广阔。我预计我的研究小组将在未来五年内发展壮大，并容纳研究生和本科生级别的HQP。他们将在我的实验室和阿贡国家实验室的纳米中心用户设施中进行尖端实验。在培训结束时，他们将在多功能世界一流的实验室设备上获得丰富的实践经验，并在低维物理领域拥有出色的科学知识，使他们能够在自己选择的职业生涯中取得成功（学术或私营部门）。

Despite great progress in discovering and characterizing macroscopic states of matter, advances in understanding the fundamental mechanisms behind these phenomena is hampered by the challenges of probing matter at the atomic scale as well as control over creating new material systems with designed geometries and chemical composition. The objective of my research plan is to develop an innovative platform aimed at overcoming these challenges. To that end, with the vision of connecting atomic-scale understanding of physical phenomena with their macroscopic manifestation, I intend to combine two powerful approaches: 1) building custom nanostructures layer-by-layer from atomically thin crystals of van der Waals bonded materials and 2) characterizing and controlling matter at the atomic scale using scanning probe microscopy. The materials systems discussed here are recently discovered, and they present us with the opportunity of making ground-breaking discoveries that stem from novel phenomena occurring strictly when electrons are confined in low dimensions. Since innovative technologies have a history of capitalizing on the discovery of new physical phenomena, such materials hold tremendous promise for applications in the areas of energy, photonics, sensing and beyond. I envision my research group to grow in the next five years and accommodate both graduate and undergraduate level HQP. They will perform cutting-edge experiments both in my laboratory as well as at the nanocenter user facility at Argonne National Laboratory. At the end of the training, they will be equipped with extensive hands-on experience on versatile world class laboratory equipment and with excellent scientific knowledge in the field of low dimensional physics, enabling them to be successful in their chosen career (academic or the private sector).