Research Overview

The Hersam Research Group specializes in the synthesis, purification, functionalization, and application of low-dimensional nanoelectronic materials including monodisperse carbon nanotubes, graphene, plasmonic nanoparticles, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hexagonal boron nitride, black phosphorus, monochalcogenides, and borophene. Surface chemical functionalization allows further tunability over the properties of these low-dimensional nanoelectronic materials including self-assembled monolayers on epitaxial graphene, covalent functionalization of graphene epoxide, organic-TMD heterojunctions, surface passivation of black phosphorus, and chemically modified borophene. The integration of these diverse materials into mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures enables significant advances in diverse applications including thin-film transistors, memristors, transparent conductors, photovoltaics, batteries, supercapacitors, sensors, quantum devices, and biomedical imaging contrast agents. In addition to fundamental studies, the Hersam Research Group commercializes low-dimensional nanoelectronic materials through scalable nanomanufacturing methods such as continuous flow solution processing and a range of printing methods encompassing inkjet, aerosol jet, gravure, screen, and 3D printing.

Selected Publications

V. K. Sangwan and M. C. Hersam, “Neuromorphic nanoelectronic materials,” Nature Nanotechnology, 15, 517 (2020).

W. J. Hyun, C. M. Thomas, and M. C. Hersam, “Nanocomposite ionogel electrolytes for solid-state rechargeable batteries,” Advanced Energy Materials, 10, 2002135 (2020). 

M. E. Beck and M. C. Hersam, “Emerging opportunities for electrostatic control in atomically thin devices,” ACS Nano, 14, 6498 (2020).

X. Liu and M. C. Hersam, “2D materials for quantum information science,” Nature Reviews Materials, 4, 669 (2019).

X. Liu and M. C. Hersam, “Borophene-graphene heterostructures,” Science Advances, 5, eaax6444 (2019).

V. K. Sangwan, H.-S. Lee, H. Bergeron, I. Balla, M. E. Beck, K.-S. Chen, and M. C. Hersam, “Multi-terminal memtransistors from polycrystalline monolayer MoS2,” Nature, 554, 500 (2018).

A. J. Mannix, Z. Zhang, N. P. Guisinger, B. I. Yakobson, and M. C. Hersam, “Borophene as a prototype for synthetic 2D materials development,” Nature Nanotechnology, 13, 444 (2018).

X. Liu and M. C. Hersam, “Interface characterization and control of 2D materials and heterostructures,” Advanced Materials, 30, 1801586 (2018).

D. Jariwala, T. J. Marks, and M. C. Hersam, “Mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures,” Nature Materials, 16, 170 (2017).

J. Kang, V. K. Sangwan, J. D. Wood, and M. C. Hersam, “Solution-based processing of monodisperse two-dimensional nanomaterials,” Accounts of Chemical Research, 50, 943 (2017).