Topological Insulators / 2D Materials

Single-layer or 2D materials refers to crystalline solids consisting of a single layer of atoms. These materials are promising for some future applications and remain in the focus of research. The most prominent single element material is graphene (C). Two-dimensional alloys (or surface alloys) are a single atomic layer of alloy that is incommensurate with the underlying substrate. A topological insulator is a material whose interior behaves as an electrical insulator while its surface behaves as an electrical conductor, i.e. electrons only move along the surface of the material.

Applications :

2D topological insulators are considered candidates for novel approaches towards electronic, spintronic, and quantum device applications, due to their unique features of electronic band structure (the existence of 1D spin surrounded by an electrically insulating bulk):
- Binary Materials (Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, Sb2Te3)
- Ternary Materials (Bi2(Se1-xTex)3), (BixSb1-x)2Te3))
Heterostructures and Superlattices
Dissipationless transistors for quantum computers
2D layered magnetic materials are attractive building blocks for nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS): being magnetically active while showing high stiffness and strength and low mass with other 2D materials