Recent Development in Emerging 2D Rare Earth Materials: Compositions, Syntheses, and Applications

2D rare earth (RE) materials have recently attracted extensive research interests owing to the unique optical, electronic, and magnetic properties, exhibiting great potential applications in next-generation lighting, optoelectronics, and magnetic devices. However, reviews on 2D RE materials are rare and only focus on certain families despite their importance. Herein, a comprehensive review of the recent progress of 2D RE materials is presented, covering structures, properties, syntheses, and applications. First, the crystal structure and electronic structure of 2D RE materials are introduced. Then, typical properties such as luminescence and magnetism are discussed. Next, the fabrication methods are summarized, including mechanical exfoliation, solution synthesis, and vapor deposition. Furthermore, the promising applications in transistors, photodetectors, and encryption are elaborated. Finally, the existing challenges and prospects of future research on 2D RE materials are evaluated.