{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/122505"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/122505","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Polarity governs atomic interaction through two-dimensional materials","abstract":"Transparency of two-dimensional (2D) materials to inter-molecular interactions has been an unresolved problem. Previous researchers found that water droplets interact with underlying substrates through graphene, as if the graphene is \"transparent\". However, graphene's transparency determined by droplet wetting angles has been controversial. Recently, precise atomic alignment between epitaxial films and substrates through monolayer graphene has been discovered in a GaAs/graphene/GaAs structure. This finding experimentally confirms the existence of remote atomic interaction through graphene. However, the mechanism of remote interaction through 2D materials at atomic-scale and its relationship with the bonding chemistry of 2D materials have not been fully understood.","abstract_html":"Transparency of two-dimensional (2D) materials to inter-molecular interactions has been an unresolved problem. Previous researchers found that water droplets interact with underlying substrates through graphene, as if the graphene is "transparent". However, graphene's transparency determined by droplet wetting angles has been controversial. Recently, precise atomic alignment between epitaxial films and substrates through monolayer graphene has been discovered in a GaAs/graphene/GaAs structure. This finding experimentally confirms the existence of remote atomic interaction through graphene. However, the mechanism of remote interaction through 2D materials at atomic-scale and its relationship with the bonding chemistry of 2D materials have not been fully understood.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Qiao, Kuan(Scientist in mechanical engineering)Massachusetts Institute of Technology."],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Master","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Jeehwan Kim."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018","date_published":"2018","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:57Z","subjects":["Mechanical Engineering."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122505","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Jeehwan Kim."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering","MechE"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Qiao, Kuan(Scientist in mechanical engineering)Massachusetts Institute of Technology."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2019-10-11T21:53:38Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-10-11T21:53:38Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2018"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Mechanical Engineering."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122505"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2018","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 33-35)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Transparency of two-dimensional (2D) materials to inter-molecular interactions has been an unresolved problem. Previous researchers found that water droplets interact with underlying substrates through graphene, as if the graphene is \"transparent\". However, graphene's transparency determined by droplet wetting angles has been controversial. Recently, precise atomic alignment between epitaxial films and substrates through monolayer graphene has been discovered in a GaAs/graphene/GaAs structure. This finding experimentally confirms the existence of remote atomic interaction through graphene. However, the mechanism of remote interaction through 2D materials at atomic-scale and its relationship with the bonding chemistry of 2D materials have not been fully understood.","This thesis reports a systematic understanding of remote atomic interaction through two-dimensional (2D) materials, unveiling the general rules for atomic potential \"transparency\" that can be universally applied to any 2D material. Our findings indicate that: (1) the degree of ionicity of 3D materials determines the potential field penetration depth, and (2) the iconicity of 2D material interlayer governs the degree of screening of the field from the 3D materials. Thus, pure ionically-bonded materials can substantially transmit their potential through 2D materials. We demonstrate that such ionic bonding potential can penetrate through three layers of graphene as it has no polarity. However, the potential can be screened even by one layer of hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) with strong ionic bonding character.","This discovery will enable the growth of all types of materials across the periodic table including group I-VII, II-VI, and 111-V as single-crystalline forms on 2D materials followed by exfoliation to form freestanding single-crystalline thin films. These thin films can then be fabricated to produce electronic and photonic devices. At the same time, the cost of the substrates during manufacturing can be dramatically reduced since the substrates can be reused without any post-release treatment after exfoliation."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Polarity governs atomic interaction through two-dimensional materials"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Jeehwan Kim."],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering","MechE"],"dc:contributor.other":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering."],"dc:creator":["Qiao, Kuan(Scientist in mechanical engineering)Massachusetts Institute of Technology."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2019-10-11T21:53:38Z"],"dc:date.available":["2019-10-11T21:53:38Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2018"],"dc:description":["Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2018","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 33-35)."],"dc:description.abstract":["Transparency of two-dimensional (2D) materials to inter-molecular interactions has been an unresolved problem. Previous researchers found that water droplets interact with underlying substrates through graphene, as if the graphene is \"transparent\". However, graphene's transparency determined by droplet wetting angles has been controversial. Recently, precise atomic alignment between epitaxial films and substrates through monolayer graphene has been discovered in a GaAs/graphene/GaAs structure. This finding experimentally confirms the existence of remote atomic interaction through graphene. However, the mechanism of remote interaction through 2D materials at atomic-scale and its relationship with the bonding chemistry of 2D materials have not been fully understood.","This thesis reports a systematic understanding of remote atomic interaction through two-dimensional (2D) materials, unveiling the general rules for atomic potential \"transparency\" that can be universally applied to any 2D material. Our findings indicate that: (1) the degree of ionicity of 3D materials determines the potential field penetration depth, and (2) the iconicity of 2D material interlayer governs the degree of screening of the field from the 3D materials. Thus, pure ionically-bonded materials can substantially transmit their potential through 2D materials. We demonstrate that such ionic bonding potential can penetrate through three layers of graphene as it has no polarity. However, the potential can be screened even by one layer of hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) with strong ionic bonding character.","This discovery will enable the growth of all types of materials across the periodic table including group I-VII, II-VI, and 111-V as single-crystalline forms on 2D materials followed by exfoliation to form freestanding single-crystalline thin films. These thin films can then be fabricated to produce electronic and photonic devices. At the same time, the cost of the substrates during manufacturing can be dramatically reduced since the substrates can be reused without any post-release treatment after exfoliation."],"dc:description.degree":["S.M."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122505"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Mechanical Engineering."],"dc:title":["Polarity governs atomic interaction through two-dimensional materials"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:57Z"}