APhMS Special Seminar

**Refreshments outside Beckman Institute Auditorium at 10:45am

Abstract:

Atomic 2D materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides offer unique properties driven by dimensional scaling, including enhanced electronic, mechanical, and chemical behaviors. Their ultrathin nature fosters improved quantum transport and surface-driven phenomena that can boost device performance beyond conventional materials. In computing, 2D-based resistive switching devices promise high-density, low-energy neuromorphic systems, and novel opto-electronic functionalities. Their flexibility, giant surface to volume ratio, and biocompatibility also enable wearable sensors for continuous, unobtrusive health monitoring. Furthermore, atomic nanolayers are being explored for ion exchange membranes in fuel cells, where they reduce crossover losses and enhance ionic conductivity, pointing to more efficient clean energy systems.

This presentation elucidates our recent advances in the fundamental exploration of atomically-thin materials, highlighting pioneering investigations and translational approaches aimed at addressing pressing challenges in computing, healthcare, and sustainability.

Selected References:

[1] M. Kaniselvan, …, and D. Akinwande, "Mechanisms of Resistive Switching in 2D Monolayer and Multilayer Materials," Nature Materials, in-press 2025.

[2] S. Kutagulla, …, and D. Akinwande, "Nanocrystalline Boron Nitride Coating for High Conductivity, Low Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells," ACS nano, in-press 2025.

[3] D. Kireev, …, and D. Akinwande, "Continuous Monitoring of Arterial Blood Pressure Via Graphene Tattoos," Nature Nano., 2022.

[4] S. Hus, …, and D. Akinwande, "Observation of single-defect memristor in an MoS2 atomic sheet," Nature Nano., 2020.

[5] Akinwande, et al., "Graphene and 2D Materials for Silicon Technology," Nature, 2019.

More about the Speaker:

Deji Akinwande is a Chair Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and a Fellow of the MRS, IEEE, and APS. He received the PhD degree from Stanford University in 2009. His research focuses on 2D materials and nanotechnology, pioneering device science/innovations from lab towards applications for which he is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher. Akinwande has been honored with the Fulbright Specialist Award, the Bessel-Humboldt Research Award, the U.S Presidential PECASE award, the inaugural Gordon Moore Inventor Fellow award, the inaugural IEEE Nano Geim and Novoselov Graphene Prize, the NSF CAREER award, several DoD Young Investigator awards, and was a past recipient of fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 3M, and Stanford DARE. His research achievements have been featured by Nature news, Time and Forbes magazine, BBC, Discover magazine, Wall Street Journal, and many media outlets. He serves as an Editor for ACS Nano, and a Reviewing Editor for Science. He was a past chair of the 2022 Gordon Research Conference on 2D materials, 2019 Device Research Conference (DRC), and the 2018 Nano-device committee of IEEE IEDM Conference. He co-authored a textbook on carbon nanotubes and graphene device physics by Cambridge University Press, and was a finalist for the Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award, the highest teaching award from the University of Texas System.