The Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards in two-dimensional materials

Abstract

Nano Research launched the Nano Research Young Innovator Awards (NR45) program in 2018 to feature young researchers under the age of 45 in various fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, in recognition of their distinguished accomplishments and/or potential to make substantial contributions to their fields. The NR45 awardees were selected through a competitive process by an award committee from the journal's editorial board. The 2021 NR45 Awards focus on the topic area of two-dimensional (2D) materials, and highlight 35 innovators in cognitions of their extraordinary contributions to this rapidly expanding field. Congratulations to all the 35 outstanding young innovators!The discovery of graphene has ignited intensive interest in 2D materials. In general, there is a large family of layered materials, in which the atomic layers are weakly bonded together by van der Waals interactions. The 2D materials can be readily prepared from the corresponding layered crystals through a micromechanical exfoliation approach, which has fueled the rapid expansion of 2D material research. However, such mechanical exfoliation approach is intrinsically unsuitable for practical technologies and it is imperative to develop more scalable synthetic strategies to 2D materials over large area or in large quantity. This special issue starts with a comprehensive review by Bilu Liu from Tsinghua University on the mass production of 2D materials beyond graphene, including "top-down" exfoliation and "bottom-up" synthetic approaches [1]. Next, Guangyu Zhang from Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science highlights specifically on the large area epitaxial growth of high-quality continuous monolayer MoS2 films [2]. Lei Fu from Wuhan University reviews a space-confined method for the growth of perovskite crystal film with controlled size, thickness, quality and structure [3]. Kai Xiao from Oak Ridge National Laboratory provides a focused review of controlled synthesis and processing of heterogeneities at multiple length scales and their impact on the macroscale properties and functionalities of 2D materials [4]. Litao Sun from Southeast University reviews the in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies probing the nucleation and formation of 2D crystals [5]. Liying Jiao from Tsinghua University then presents a research article on fast growth of single crystalline WS2 monolayer domains [6], and Shuyun Zhou from Tsinghua University reports a large-scale growth of PtTe, PtTe2 and PSe2 thin film via straightforward selenization or tellurization of deposited Pt films [7].