2D material hybrid heterostructures: achievements and challenges towards high throughput fabrication

Abstract

2D materials have attracted tremendous attention since the discovery of graphene, because of their unique optical/electronic/mechanical properties, and their manipulable bidimensional morphology. Since forthcoming technologies require a stringent yet faceted portfolio of features, hardly feasible using a single pristine material, the demand for property tuning and multifunctionality has led to the development of hybrid 2D material heterostructures to modulate and exploit the synergy between two or more materials and achieve novel properties. Because of their straightforwardness in implementation and rich variety of possible combinations, these hybrid architectures, held together mostly by non-covalent interactions, virtually allow the fabrication of any kind of assembly offering a unique opportunity for fine-tuning the properties of materials. However, reproducibility, scale-up, assembly into ordered structures and processability are the challenges yet to be addressed to technologically harness their full potential, and enable their integration into mass produced commercial devices. In this perspective article we analyse the recent developments in the automatised production of hybrid solution processed 2D material heterostructures, especially emphasising on the technologies that are currently closer to achieving low-cost, high-throughput standardised production, namely spray coating, inkjet printing and 3D printing, to sense the direction this research field is taking in pursuit of the development of commercialisable products.