Researchers stack the odds for novel optoelectronic 2-D materials

Stacking layers of nanometer-thin semiconducting materials at different angles is a new approach to designing the next generation of energy-efficient transistors and solar cells. The atoms in each layer are arranged in hexagonal arrays. When two layers are stacked and rotated, atoms from one layer overlap with those in the other layer and can form an infinite number of overlapping patterns, like the Moiré patterns that result when two screens are overlaid and one is rotated on top of the other. Theoretical calculations predict excellent electronic and optical properties for some stacking patterns, but practically, how can these patterns be made and characterized?

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