Nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS) and energy-efficient electronics and the emergence of two-dimensional layered materials beyond graphene

Carbon-based nanomaterials such as graphene, a layered two-dimensional (2D) crystal, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers have been explored extensively by researchers as well as the semiconductor industry as viable alternatives to silicon-based complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor transistors. Besides nanoscale transistors, the exceptional properties of carbon-based nanomaterials has stirred intense interest in considering these materials for applications ranging from interconnects, field-emission displays, photo-voltaics and nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS). Recently, the emergence of other layered 2D crystals where the bonding between layers is held together by the weak van der Waals interaction, has opened up new avenues of research and exploration. Such material systems display a diverse array of properties ranging from insulating hexagonal-BN, metallic NbS2 to semiconducting MoS2. The ability to engineer the materials properties in these 2D layered materials provides promising prospects for their use in a wide variety of applications ranging from electronics, photonics, sensing, energy harvesting, flexible electronics and related applications over the coming years.