A grand family of
two-dimensional (2D) materials and their heterostructures
have been discovered through the extensive experimental and theoretical
efforts of chemists, material scientists, physicists, and technologists.
These pioneering works contribute to realizing the fundamental platforms
to explore and analyze new physical/chemical properties and technological
phenomena at the micro–nano–pico scales. Engineering
2D van der Waals (vdW) materials and their heterostructures via chemical
and physical methods with a suitable choice of stacking order, thickness,
and interlayer interactions enable exotic carrier dynamics, showing
potential in high-frequency electronics, broadband optoelectronics,
low-power neuromorphic computing, and ubiquitous electronics. This
comprehensive review addresses recent advances in terms of representative
2D materials, the general fabrication methods, and characterization
techniques and the vital role of the physical parameters affecting
the quality of 2D heterostructures. The main emphasis is on 2D heterostructures
and 3D-bulk (3D) hybrid systems exhibiting intrinsic quantum mechanical
responses in the optical, valley, and topological states. Finally,
we discuss the universality of 2D heterostructures with representative
applications and trends for future electronics and optoelectronics
(FEO) under the challenges and opportunities from physical, nanotechnological,
and material synthesis perspectives.