SUTD researchers Robert Simpson and Zhou Xilin, together with researchers from the Institute of Photonic Sciences (IFCO) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), are investigating ways to stack two dimensional crystals, one on top of another, and designing new artificial materials based on these stacks. Their strain engineering method opens up a wealth of new opportunities to design electronic and photonic materials with bespoke properties.
Figure 1: An illustration of Sb₂Te₃ and GeTe two dimensional crystals stacked one on top of the other. The layers are held together by a weak van der Waals interaction.
You can find more details at https://www.sutd.edu.sg/Research/Research-News/2016/2/Strained-Engineering