Controlled alignment of supermoiré lattice in double-aligned graphene heterostructures.

The supermoiré lattice, built by stacking two moiré patterns, provides a platform for creating flat mini-bands and studying electron correlations. An ultimate challenge in assembling a graphene supermoiré lattice is in the deterministic control of its rotational alignment, which is made highly aleatory due to the random nature of the edge chirality and crystal symmetry. Employing the so-called "golden rule of three", here we present an experimental strategy to overcome this challenge and realize the controlled alignment of double-aligned hBN/graphene/hBN supermoiré lattice, where the twist angles between graphene and top/bottom hBN are both close to zero. Remarkably, we find that the crystallographic edge of neighboring graphite can be used to better guide the stacking alignment, as demonstrated by the controlled production of 20 moiré samples with an accuracy better than ~ 0.2°. Finally, we extend our technique to low-angle twisted bilayer graphene and ABC-stacked trilayer graphene, providing a strategy for flat-band engineering in these moiré materials.

Room-Temperature Colossal Magnetoresistance in Terraced Single-Layer Graphene.

Disorder-induced magnetoresistance (MR) effect is quadratic at low perpendicular magnetic fields and linear at high fields. This effect is technologically appealing, especially in 2D materials such as graphene, since it offers potential applications in magnetic sensors with nanoscale spatial resolution. However, it is a great challenge to realize a graphene magnetic sensor based on this effect because of the difficulty in controlling the spatial distribution of disorder and enhancing the MR sensitivity in the single-layer regime. Here, a room-temperature colossal MR of up to 5000% at 9 T is reported in terraced single-layer graphene. By laminating single-layer graphene on a terraced substrate, such as TiO2 -terminated SrTiO3 , a universal one order of magnitude enhancement in the MR compared to conventional single-layer graphene devices is demonstrated. Strikingly, a colossal MR of >1000% is also achieved in the terraced graphene even at a high carrier density of ≈1012 cm-2 . Systematic studies of the MR of single-layer graphene on various oxide- and non-oxide-based terraced surfaces demonstrate that the terraced structure is the dominant factor driving the MR enhancement. The results open a new route for tailoring the physical property of 2D materials by engineering the strain through a terraced substrate.

Bandgap Engineering of Phosphorene by Laser Oxidation toward Functional 2D Materials.

We demonstrate a straightforward and effective laser pruning approach to reduce multilayer black phosphorus (BP) to few-layer BP under ambient condition. Phosphorene oxides and suboxides are formed and the degree of laser-induced oxidation is controlled by the laser power. Since the band gaps of the phosphorene suboxide depend on the oxygen concentration, this simple technique is able to realize localized band gap engineering of the thin BP. Micropatterns of few-layer phosphorene suboxide flakes with unique optical and fluorescence properties are created. Remarkably, some of these suboxide flakes display long-term (up to 2 weeks) stability in ambient condition. Comparing against the optical properties predicted by first-principle calculations, we develop a "calibration" map in using focused laser power as a handle to tune the band gap of the BP suboxide flake. Moreover, the surface of the laser patterned region is altered to be sensitive to toxic gas by way of fluorescence contrast. Therefore, the multicolored display is further demonstrated as a toxic gas monitor. In addition, the BP suboxide flake is demonstrated to exhibit higher drain current modulation and mobility comparable to that of the pristine BP in the electronic application.