Seminar: Building new atomic scale structures within 2D frames by ion implantation

Impurity atoms (i.e. dopants) in solid state materials offer a flourishing platform with properties well suited for various applications from catalysis to quantum information technology. In this talk I will introduce our recent work on designing new atomic scale structures within two dimensional frames using impurity atoms and subsequent characterisation by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy. The structures are created by ultra-low energy ion implantation at the eV energy range serving as a versatile method to achieve various nanoscale structures. Firstly, I will discuss two dimensional materials as a functional frame for impurity atoms, focusing on structures that are created within a single layer that offers a promising platform for single atom catalysis. I will also show how these structures can be used to further synthesise single atomic layer thick metal structures directly onto graphene, providing new insight in the formation of metal contacts on the inert basal plane of two dimensional materials for device fabrication. Secondly, I will discuss the interface between two membranes and how it can be harnessed to build and confine new structures that would otherwise not be stable at room temperature. Computational insight sheds light to the dynamic formation processes at the picosecond timescales and reveals the stability and energy landscapes that would remain unexplored with experiments alone.