As a materials scientist, we are told not to play favorites, but one type of material in specific captivates me— 2D materials, single layers of atoms, much like an atomic scale chicken-wire mesh. Indeed, as the National Nanotechnology Initiative put it succinctly in their trending YouTube Nano Song video: ‘Ordinary is extraordinary when you make it nano-size’.

At Rice University’s Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, I work with Prof. Pulickel Ajayan on advancing 2D materials technology ranging from designing unique heterostructures to applying them in state-of-the-art device architectures. I wish to research ways we can integrate these materials into hybrid devices to achieve sustainable industrial use.