The Atomic Drill Bit: Precision Controlled Atomic Fabrication of 2D Materials

Abstract

The ability to deterministically fabricate nanoscale architectures with atomic precision is the central goal of nanotechnology, whereby highly localized changes in the atomic structure can be exploited to control device properties at their fundamental physical limit. Here, an automated, feedback‐controlled atomic fabrication method is reported and the formation of 1D–2D heterostructures in MoS2 is demonstrated through selective transformations along specific crystallographic orientations. The atomic‐scale probe of an aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is used, and the shape and symmetry of the scan pathway relative to the sample orientation are controlled. The focused and shaped electron beam is used to reliably create Mo6S6 nanowire (MoS‐NW) terminated metallic‐semiconductor 1D–2D edge structures within a pristine MoS2 monolayer with atomic precision. From these results, it is found that a triangular beam path aligned along the zig‐zag sulfur terminated (ZZS) direction forms stable MoS‐NW edge structures with the highest degree of fidelity without resulting in disordering of the surrounding MoS2 monolayer. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ab initio molecular dynamic simulations (AIMD) are used to calculate the energetic barriers for the most stable atomic edge structures and atomic transformation pathways. These discoveries provide an automated method to improve understanding of atomic‐scale transformations while opening a pathway toward more precise atomic‐scale engineering of materials.

Dynamic STEM-EELS for single-atom and defect measurement during electron beam transformations

“…Second, there are also differences in the core loss regime among the different classes. Here, the NW edge reconstruction is highlighted; these have also been predicted to exhibit metallic behavior ( 42 , 43 ), and their formation through electron beam irradiation and in situ thermal annealing has been extensively investigated ( 44 , 45 ). The EELS structure near 260 eV is most apparent, where the edge is stronger (positive slope, seen in Fig.…”

Activating two-dimensional semiconductors for photocatalysis: a cross-dimensional strategy

“…Cleavage or thinning of the bulk materials to their 2D forms [346] may result in various thin slab to host the cross-dimensional activation strategies. The constant development of nanotechniques further enables the control the variant of 2D materials at an atomic level [347]. Combining them and developing the mass-productions of the 2D-based photocatalysts will bolster materials bases for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant removals.…”

Defects go green: using defects in nanomaterials for renewable energy and environmental sustainability

“…STEM was subsequently used as an atomic drill bit for targeted synthesis of specific edge-patterns in 2D TMDs. (Boebinger et al, 2023). Nevertheless, a scalable approach to engineer edges in 2D materials is still lacking, but has significant potential in achieving high HER in TMDs with earth-abundant elements and without involving any critical materials.…”