A team of scientists has developed a new way to build ultra-thin materials that could advance quantum computing and next-generation electronics. The method, published in Nature Communications, replaces messy synthetic polymers with a natural mineral called muscovite mica to stack materials that are just a few atoms thick.
According to Phys.org, the research was developed in collaboration between the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials at the National University of Singapore and the University of Southampton. Current manufacturing methods use sticky synthetic polymers to assemble these atomic layers, but those polymers often leave behind microscopic residues that contaminate the tiny structures and disrupt the performance of electronic devices.
By substituting mica for the polymers, the team found the resulting material becomes atomically flat and offers better surfaces for stacking the layers precisely.
Lead author Dr. Makars Šiškins, a lecturer in experimental physics at the University of Southampton, described what becomes possible when the layers are clean and precisely aligned. "When 2D materials, like graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, are stacked into layered structures with a controlled angle between the layers, they exhibit entirely new properties—from exotic superconductivity to tunable magnetism."
He added that the new method addresses a long-standing precision problem. "Our new method allows us to precisely align the layers to create these complex structures that were previously too hard to make. This level of precision is vital for quantum material research, where even a tiny amount of contamination can obscure the results."
Co-lead Professor Alexey Berdyugin from the National University of Singapore explained why mica works where polymers fail. "Because mica is an inorganic crystal, rather than a soft polymer, it avoids many of the contamination issues that plague conventional methods. It also produces ultra-clean surfaces, allowing the electronic components to function at their full potential."
Berdyugin said the implications could extend far. "It could help us finally unlock the full power of these advanced 2D heterostructure electronics, leading to major breakthroughs in both fundamental science and future quantum technology."
Šiškins added that developing an ultra-clean fabrication method for 2D materials is viewed by scientists as a critical step toward developing future nanoelectronics and eventually making microchips faster and more reliable.
