Synthesis, Properties, and Applications of 2-D Materials: A Comprehensive Review

Recent advances in atomically thin two-dimensional (2-D) materials have led to a variety of promising future technologies for post-CMOS nanoelectronics and energy generation. This review is an attempt to thoroughly illustrate the current status and future prospects for 2-D materials other than graphene (e.g., BN nanosheets, MoS2, NbSe2, WS2, etc.), which have already been contemplated for both low-end and high-end technological applications. An overview of the different synthesis techniques for 2-D materials is presented here, with an exploration of the potential for developing methods of controllable large scale synthesis. Furthermore, we summarize the underlying theories which correlate the structural and physical properties of 2-D materials with their state-of-the-art applications. Finally, we show that utilizing the unprecedented properties arising from these materials would lead to innovative devices. Such devices would significantly reduce both device dimensions and power consumption, as necessary for the creation of tomorrow's sustainable technology.