Center for Functional Nanomaterials Seminar

Two-dimensional (2D) materials and their heterostructures have demonstrated significant potential in various modern electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, their optoelectronic properties are strongly influenced by the defects present in these materials. Additionally, the reduced dielectric screening in the out-of-plane direction makes 2D materials highly sensitive to the surrounding dielectric environment, providing a unique platform with highly tunable optoelectronic properties. The defects in the 2D materials and at the substrates are strongly influenced by the surrounding dielectric environment. Therefore, gaining an in-depth understanding of the role of defects and the dielectric environment is crucial for designing high-performance optoelectronic devices. I will present some of our recent work on how dielectric environment can tune the electronic and optical properties of 2D materials and mixed-dimensional (2D-3D) van der Waals heterostructures. In our discussion, we will explore how various characterization methods such as low-frequency noise, dielectric analysis, and transient photoresponse can be employed to comprehend the impact of defects and the dielectric environment on the charge transport properties of such systems.