SFB 1415:  Chemistry of Synthetic Two-Dimensional Materials

• Subject Area: Chemistry ; Materials Science and Engineering ; Physics
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 417590517

Our society depends on advanced materials, which play a crucial role in a variety of technological developments. A spotlight has been directed towards two-dimensional materials (2DMs) due to their promise across diverse domains. 2DMs represent a class of low-dimensional nanomaterials with single- to few-layers thickness (≤ 10 layers) and atomic-level structural precision. This Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) aims on the controlled bottom-up synthesis for the development of novel 2DMs with precise atomic-/molecular-level structures. In the first funding period, the CRC has achieved progress with aspects to 1) the establishment of synthetic methodologies for 2DMs and layer-stacked 2D crystals; 2) the development of characterization methods to the specifics of 2DMs; and 3) the demonstration of experiment-theory combined methods to address the structure-property relationship in 2DMs. Despite the progress made, critical scientific questions persist and will be addressed in the second funding period by developing synthetic methodologies for 2DMs and their 2D van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures (HSs), exploring (in-situ) characterization techniques, and advancing theoretical description. Therefore, the CRC will shift the focus towards understanding and tailoring the functional properties of 2DMs and addressing how these properties evolve in 2D HSs. The CRC will continue to deploy the research areas that bridge A) material synthesis, B) structural and property characterization, and C) theory. The CRC will continue focusing on the two pathways: 1) the bottom-up synthesis of layer-stacked crystalline materials followed by exfoliation into thin nanosheets and assembly into 2D HSs through (electro)chemical or mechanical methods, and 2) the direct synthesis of 2DMs and their 2D HSs via solution-based surface- and interface-assisted syntheses. The CRC will focus on developing in-/ex-situ characterization methods to analyse the structure and physical/chemical properties. The CRC strives to develop and use advanced theoretical methods and models to predict the 2DM’s formation and their chemical/physical properties. Theoretical contributions are crucial for gaining insights into the structure, molecular arrangement, and interactions of 2DMs and elucidating the influence of lattice topologies, defects, and strain effects on the properties. The INF project (“Sustainable Research Data Management”) will elevate systematic managing and handling of research data, where research data will be centrally processed, managed, tagged with rich metadata, easily exchanged, and published in open repositories. The MGK (“Integrated Research Training Group 2D Materials”) will continue to provide a structural framework to offer additional education and training in interdisciplinary competencies, as well as soft and technical skills for researchers and students, thus enhancing their qualifications and assisting them in building successful career paths.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Current projects

• A01 - 2D Conjugated Polymers: π-Conjugation, Nontrivial (Opto)Electronic and Magnetic Properties (Project Head Feng, Xinliang )
• A02 - Solution Processing of Side Chain Functionalized 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks (Project Head Schneemann, Andreas )
• A03 - On-Liquid Surface Synthesis of 2D Polymers and their van der Waals Heterostructures (Project Head Feng, Xinliang )
• A04 - Surface Chemistry and Electrocatalytic Functions of 2D Metal-Organic Frameworks (Project Head Kaskel, Stefan )
• A05 - 2D Heterostructures from Microfluidically Exfoliated Quantum Materials (Project Head Ruck, Michael )
• A06 - Non-Epitaxial Layered Intergrowths of 2D Materials by Atomic Layer Deposition (Project Head Nielsch, Kornelius )
• A08 - Converting 1D Conjugated Polymers into Functional 2D Materials (Project Head Voit, Ph.D., Brigitte )
• A10 - Synthesis of Defined, Chiral 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks (Project Head Plietker, Bernd )
• A11 - 2D Networks and Heterojunctions with Controllable Morphology from Nanosheet Inks (Project Head Synnatschke, Kevin )
• B01 - Solid-State and In-situ NMR Investigations of 2D Materials (Project Head Brunner, Eike )
• B04 - Potential Landscape and Electronic Properties of Twisted and Curved 2D Materials (Project Head Lubk, Axel )
• B06 - Local-Scale Optoelectronics of Synthetic 2D Materials (Project Head Eng, Lukas M. )
• B07 - Wrinkle-Based Strain Engineering of 2D Materials (Project Head Fery, Andreas )
• B08 - Mechanistic Insights into Electrocatalytic 2D Framework Materials via In-Situ Vibrational Spectro-Electrochemistry (Project Head Weidinger, Inez )
• B09 - Effect of Extended Defects on Optoelectronic Properties in Novel 2D Materials (Project Head Hermes, Ilka )
• B10 - Revealing Ion Transport and Storage Properties of 2D Materials (Project Head Yu, Minghao )
• B11 - Exciton Transport in Synthetic 2D Materials (Project Head Chernikov, Alexey )
• C01 - Influence of Point and Line Defects on Optoelectronic and Magnetic Properties of 2D Materials: Insights from First-Principles Calculations (Project Head Krasheninnikov, Arkady )
• C03 - (Opto)Electronic Properties of Type-II van der Waals Heterostructures (Project Head Kuc, Agnieszka )
• C04 - Data-Driven Characterization (A)Chiral 2D Polymers (Project Head Cuniberti, Gianaurelio )
• C06 - Magnetism and Electrostatic Gradients in 2D Polymers and Their Heterostructures (Project Head Heine, Thomas )
• C07 - Accurate Prediction of Vibrational Spectra for 2D Materials (Project Head Golze, Dorothea )
• C08 - Functional 2D Heterostructures by Data-Driven Design (Project Head Friedrich, Rico )
• C09 - Ion Transport in 2D Polymer-Based Monolayers and Heterostructures (Project Head Kühne, Thomas D. )
• INF - Sustainable Research Data Management (Project Heads Heine, Thomas ;  Kaskel, Stefan ;  Nagel, Wolfgang E. )
• MGK - Integrated Research Training Group 2D Materials (Project Heads Brumme, Thomas ;  Friedrich, Rico ;  Weidinger, Inez )
• Z - Central Tasks of the CRC (Project Head Feng, Xinliang )

Completed projects

• A07 - 2D Nanoplatelets as Building Blocks for Ordered Assemblies (Project Head Eychmüller, Alexander )
• A09 - The Chemistry of van der Waals Heterostructures Based on Conjugated 2D Metal-Organic Framework Monolayers (c-MOFene) (Project Head Dong, Ph.D., Renhao )
• B02 - X-Ray Diffraction Studies of 2D Materials (Project Head Geck, Jochen )
• B03 - Towards Atomic Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy Imaging of Electron-Beam-Sensitive Organic 2D Materials (Project Head Kaiser, Ute )
• B05 - Atomically Precise Single-Layer 2D Conjugated Polymer Frameworks Studied by LT-STM (Project Head Moresco, Francesca )
• C02 - Effects of Mechanical Strain on the Structure and Properties of 2D Materials and their Heterostructures (Project Head Brumme, Thomas )
• C05 - Optical Properties of Monolayer and Few-Layer 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks (Project Head Ortmann, Frank )

• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Dresden
• Participating Institution: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR); Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (IFW) e.V.; Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. (IPF)
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Xinliang Feng