Nanoelectromechanical systems based on low dimensional nanomaterials: Beyond carbon nanotube and graphene nanomechanical resonators—a brief review

Abstract

Recent experimental efforts in investigating low-dimensional nanomaterials have spanned significantly beyond carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene, which are often considered hallmarks of one- and two-dimensional (1&2D) nanostructures. Emerging layered nanomaterials, such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) and black phosphorus (P), have enabled new device functions and potential applications thanks to their intriguing material properties unavailable in CNT and graphene. In particular, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) based on these new nanostructures exhibit new and interesting device properties. This paper describes the recent progresses in exploring and engineering atomically-thin semiconducting crystals into a new class of two-dimensional nanoelectromechanical systems, which hold promises for building novel nanoscale transducers. Exploration of resonant NEMS based on molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) reveals in these new nanoscale systems very broad dynamic range, rich nonlinear dynamics, and outstanding electrical tunability. Further, recent investigations show that black P NEMS offer the unique opportunity for harnessing the strong mechanical anisotropy in this nanocrystal composed of corrugated atomic sheets, demonstrating potential towards new device functions and applications that are unavailable to CNT and graphene based devices and systems.