Strain engineering of 2D materials

Abstract

When bulk structures are thinned down to their monolayers, degree of orbital interactions, mechanical properties and electronic band dispersion of the crystal structure become highly sensitive to the amount of applied strain. The source of strain on the ultra-thin lattice structure can be (1) an external device or a flexible substrate that can stretch or compress the structure, (2) the lattice mismatch between the layer and neighboring layers or (3) stress induced by STM or AFM tip.