Low-dimensional materials

The research theme "low dimensionality" aims to understand and control the structural/electronic/optical properties of 0D (pure, bimetallic), 1D (C,BN) and 2D (graphene, h-BN, Black-P, MoS2) materials.

  • Ni-C phase diagram for a nanoparticle with 807 Ni atoms

Dimensionality base materials refer to systems in which one or more spatial dimensions are small enough to confine the electronic state wave function and give rise to quantum size effects. Compared to their 3D counterparts, the nanoscale leads to unexpected and sometimes extraordinary electronic, optical, thermal, mechanical and chemical properties. The possibility of being able to control/exploit all these properties makes it possible to consider their use in a wide range of nanotechnologies. The main objective of our research is to understand and control the synthesis of 0D (metal nanoparticles), 1D (carbon and boron nitride nanotubes), 2D (graphene sheets, BN, black phosphorus and their heterostructures) materials as well as the electronic properties related to dimension reduction and the coupling and enhancement effects that may exist between the components of a heterostructure. The approach combines experimental observations (TEM-EELS, spectroscopy) and modelling (ab initio electronic structure, strong binding method, Monte Carlo simulations). Our research activity is divided into 3 main areas:

  • Synthesis: chemical route (0D), chemical vapor deposition (1D/2D) and understanding of growth mechanisms.

(a) G the general growth scenario of graphene formation from CVD. (b) Micromechanical assembly to form van de Waals heterostructures.

  • Characterization: structural and spectroscopic properties (electronic and optical) by different experimental techniques (transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, cathodoluminescence, photoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy).

(a) DWNTs : Comparison between experimental and simulated HRTEM images of moiré patterns DWNT. (b) hBN : Cathodoluminescence spectra of bulk structures (left) and different thichnesses (right).

  • Simulation/theory: atomic scale modelling of structural, electronic and optical properties.

(a) Nucleation of carbon nanotube from Ni nanoparticles (tight-binding MC simulations). (b) Ground-state exciton in BN layer.

Permanent Staff

Hakim Amara
Research director
Frédéric Fossard
Research engineer
Armelle Girard
Assistant professor
Annick Loiseau
Research director
Jean-Sébastien Merot
Support engineer
Lorenzo Sponza
Researcher

Non-Permanent Staff

Anissa Acheche
PhD student
Juliette Le Balle
PhD student
Romain Moreau
PhD student
Clément Semion
PhD student
Elisa Serrano Richaud
PhD student
Jesus Villalobos
Postdoc