Stacking of Two-Dimensional Materials in Lateral and Vertical Directions

Along with the explosive interest in graphene research, much attention has been paid to other two-dimensional (2D) materials such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). In particular, the stacking of various 2D materials in the vertical and lateral directions has been studied recently, as novel physicochemical properties are expected that could result in new applications for electronic devices. In this Perspective, recent advances in the stacking of 2D materials are discussed from the point of view of materials chemistry. In particular, methods for stacking of 2D materials (h-BN/graphene, graphene/WS2 (or MoS2)/graphene, etc.), the properties of vertically and laterally stacked 2D materials, and possible applications are discussed. Finally, we discuss important emerging issues to be studied in future.