Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• Nucleation control is crucial for achieving wafer-scale 2D single crystals, with strategies focusing on density and position. • Controlling nucleation density enables growth from a single nucleus, leading to large-area single crystals. • Controlling nucleation position facilitates unidirectional island alignment and seamless stitching, essential for single-crystal films. • The review provides strategic pathways for the growth of emerging 2D materials, highlighting future directions.
Abstract
The unique structure and exceptional properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials offer significant potential for transformative advancements in semiconductor industry. Similar to the reliance on wafer-scale single-crystal ingots for silicon-based chips, practical applications of 2D materials at the chip level need large-scale, high-quality production of 2D single crystals. Over the past two decades, the size of 2D single-crystals has been improved to wafer or meter scale, where the nucleation control during the growth process is particularly important. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive review of nucleation control to gain fundamental insights into the growth of 2D single-crystal materials. This review mainly focuses on two aspects: controlling nucleation density to enable the growth from a single nucleus, and controlling nucleation position to achieve the unidirectionally aligned islands and subsequent seamless stitching. Finally, we provide an overview and forecast of the strategic pathways for emerging 2D materials.
1. Introduction
In recent years, with the decrease in size of traditional silicon-based chips, the short-channel effect has become progressively more pronounced. The operating speed and performance of contemporary electronic devices are approaching the intrinsic limits of silicon-based materials. To address these challenges, it is imperative to explore and develop novel materials and devices. Two-dimensional (2D) materials, including conductors (such as graphene), semiconductors (like transition metal dichalcogenides), insulators (like hexagonal boron nitride), and other critical components for electronic devices, exhibit remarkable physical properties like ultrafast response, high carrier mobility, and diverse electrical functionalities. Moreover, the atomic thickness and the planar geometry are highly compatible with the mature device fabrication process.
To facilitate the chip-level integration of 2D materials, the production of large-area, high-quality 2D single crystals is a prerequisite, which can eliminate the grain boundaries and maintain their intrinsic performance. Furthermore, the exceptional uniformity is critical for achieving the scalability and stability required for industrial applications.
Unlike bulk materials, the growth of 2D materials typically occurs at extremely thin dimensions, often just a few atomic layers, making them sensitive to the surface and interface.
Loading authentic research manuscript (Pages 1–5)...
Jinxia Bai, Chi Zhang, Fankai Zeng, Jinzong Kou, Jinhuan Wang, Xiaozhi Xu (2025). Nucleation control for the growth of two-dimensional single crystals. SinoTechIntel Verified Research. https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-4926/25030023
Research & Educational Purpose Only:The translations, structured abstracts, analytical annotations, and data reports provided by SinoTechIntel are intended exclusively for academic research, internal corporate R&D, and educational benchmarking. They do not constitute formal engineering, chemical safety, legal, or professional advice.
Copyright & Intellectual Property Notice: Original copyright of the underlying source articles and experimental data remains with the respective authors, institutions, and original publishing journals. SinoTechIntel claims intellectual property only over its proprietary translations, analytical syntheses, and AEO structured enhancements in accordance with international fair use and academic citation principles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the importance of nucleation control in growing 2D single crystals?
Nucleation control is crucial for achieving large-scale, high-quality 2D single crystals. By controlling nucleation density and position, researchers can enable growth from a single nucleus or achieve unidirectional alignment of islands, which are essential for eliminating grain boundaries and maintaining intrinsic properties.
What are the two main aspects of nucleation control discussed in the review?
The review focuses on controlling nucleation density to enable growth from a single nucleus, and controlling nucleation position to achieve unidirectionally aligned islands and subsequent seamless stitching.
How does controlling nucleation density contribute to the growth of 2D single crystals?
Controlling nucleation density allows for the growth from a single nucleus, which is essential for producing large-area single crystals without grain boundaries.
What is the significance of controlling nucleation position?
Controlling nucleation position enables the unidirectional alignment of islands, which can then seamlessly stitch together to form a single crystal, crucial for wafer-scale production.
What are the future directions for the growth of emerging 2D materials?
The review provides an overview and forecast of strategic pathways, emphasizing the need for advanced nucleation control techniques to achieve even larger and higher-quality 2D single crystals for industrial applications.
Related Technical Papers & Translations
A Novel Approach for Enhanced Brain Tumor Segmentation Using Multimodal MRI and Deep Learning
Brain tumor segmentation from multimodal MRI is crucial for diagnosis and treatment planning. In this study, we propose a novel deep learning framework that integrates structural and functional imaging modalities to improve segmentation accuracy. Our method employs a multi-scale attention mechanism and a hybrid loss function to handle class imbalance and boundary ambiguity. Evaluated on the BraTS benchmark, our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance, with Dice scores of 0.91, 0.87, and 0.84 for whole tumor, core, and enhancing tumor, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrate the generalizability of our model across different scanners and protocols. Our findings suggest that the proposed method can significantly aid clinical decision-making and surgical planning.
Investigation of coupled acoustic and electrical responses and early warning approaches during re-loading of damaged coal
Initial damage from engineering disturbances in deep coal mining degrades mechanical properties and heightens dynamic-hazard risks, challenging conventional monitoring. This study probes the coupled acoustic-electrical responses of initially damaged coal under reloading and develops a multi-parameter, multi-level dynamic integrated early-warning model. Using a true-triaxial Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) system, we prepared specimens with graded damage by varying static deviatoric stresses and dynamic impacts. Uniaxial compression reloading was conducted with synchronous acoustic emission (AE) and resistivity monitoring. Joint time-domain responses of force, acoustics, and electricity delineated distinct loading stages. Time-frequency features were extracted via Fourier and wavelet transforms; crack architecture was quantified by 3D AE localization and fractal-dimension analysis. Initial damage markedly reduced load-bearing capacity. Resistivity decreased sharply with increasing deviatoric stress, while cumulative AE counts increased strongly. The AE spectrum evolved from bimodal to broadband with low- and high-frequency enhancement. The resistivity spectrum showed progressive bandwidth broadening, energy amplification, and high-frequency advancement. The AE spatial fractal dimension rose significantly during compaction. An integrated warning system combining multiscale entropy fusion, Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN)-Transformer forecasting, recurrence-network analysis, and a Bayesian framework yielded a 28.4 s lead time, offering a theoretical basis and technical pathway for intelligent prevention of dynamic hazards.
Influence of aggregate particle size on fracture behavior and energy evolution of cemented rockfill in the post-peak stage
Cemented rockfill (CRF) combines structural support with sustainable reuse of coal-derived solid waste. This study integrates digital image correlation, acoustic emission monitoring, and finite–discrete element simulations to investigate mechanical behavior, fracture development, and energy evolution of CRF containing 54% aggregate content with three grain-size distributions (5–10, 10–20, and 20–30 mm). Results indicate finer aggregates raise compressive strength and elastic modulus, and increase post-peak softening and residual stiffness. Fracture patterns transition from dominantly unidirectional failure in coarse specimens to pronounced X-shaped conjugate shear in fine specimens, with cracks initiating at boundaries and propagating inward. The proportion of failed joints at comparable strains decreases markedly with finer gradation, reflecting a more homogeneous crack network that enhances post-peak load retention and produces frequent minor stress fluctuations. Energy analyses reveal a coarse > medium > fine ordering in cumulative dissipation; however, finer aggregates delay rapid kinetic and dissipative energy release, promoting slower energy redistribution and improved load resistance. These findings quantify how aggregate gradation controls deformational mechanisms, crack topology, and energy partitioning, and provide design guidance for optimizing aggregate size and cementitious composition to enhance ductility, energy absorption, and structural reliability of CRF in underground engineering.