Centre for Advanced 2D Materials

The Centre for Advanced 2D Materials (CA2DM) is a research centre at the National University of Singapore dedicated to the science and engineering of graphene and other two-dimensional, or 2D, materials. It originated in 2010 as the Graphene Research Centre, established by NUS under the leadership of Professor Antonio H. Castro Neto. The centre was created during the rapid international expansion of graphene research following the isolation and study of graphene and the recognition of its unusual electrical, mechanical, optical, and thermal properties. CA2DM was established with scientific advice from Nobel Prize-winning physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on graphene. Its initial programme was centred on graphene research, but its scope broadened during the 2010s to include transition-metal dichalcogenides and other atomically thin crystals. The change in name from Graphene Research Centre to Centre for Advanced 2D Materials reflected this wider scientific mandate. The centre's work spans fundamental materials science, computational theory, fabrication, characterization, and device development. Research topics described for CA2DM include wafer-scale growth of atomically thin crystals; Raman, atomic-force, transmission-electron, scanning-tunnelling, optical, magnetotransport, and angle-resolved photoemission characterization; multilayer and three-dimensional architectures; composite materials; spintronics and valleytronics; flexible electronics; nanoscale patterning; energy conversion and storage; photonic components; biosensing; catalysis; and biointerfaces. Its research model connects materials discovery with engineering platforms and possible applications in electronics, photovoltaics, fuel cells, water splitting, biomedical technologies, and optical systems. The centre has also maintained an infrastructure and partnership orientation. In 2012, its Graphene Research Centre announced a micro- and nanofabrication facility intended to support the production and processing of graphene-related products. Later, CA2DM became an NRF Medium-Sized Centre and received a major grant supporting advanced 2D-materials research. It has also participated in a National Research Foundation CREATE programme with the University of California, Berkeley and Nanyang Technological University concerning photovoltaic systems based on 2D crystals. CA2DM is an academic research institution rather than a consumer-facing product brand. Its principal outputs are scientific discoveries, research publications, intellectual property, experimental platforms, device concepts, materials-processing methods, and collaborations. In 2019, Konstantin Novoselov joined NUS as a Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, strengthening the university's association with internationally prominent graphene research. The centre's continuing role is to investigate how atomically thin materials can be synthesized, understood, integrated, and translated into new technologies.

CA2DM began in 2010 as the Graphene Research Centre at the National University of Singapore. Its creation reflected the growing scientific and industrial interest in graphene, an atomically thin carbon material with distinctive electronic, mechanical, optical, and thermal characteristics. NUS established the centre under the leadership of Antonio H. Castro Neto, providing start-up resources that included S$40 million in institutional funding, approximately 1,000 square metres of laboratory space, and an approximately 800-square-metre clean-room facility. The centre received scientific advice from Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, whose graphene research was recognized with the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. The initial research programme focused on graphene synthesis, characterization, theory, and applications. In June 2012, the Graphene Research Centre announced a S$15 million micro- and nanofabrication facility designed to enable the manufacture and processing of graphene products. This infrastructure supported a research approach that moved from material discovery toward controlled fabrication and device integration. By 2014, the centre's activities had expanded to include other two-dimensional materials, particularly transition-metal dichalcogenides. NUS renamed it the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials to reflect this broader remit. Around the same period, CA2DM became an NRF Medium-Sized Centre and received a S$50 million grant. These institutional developments marked a transition from a graphene-specific research unit to a broader platform for studying atomically thin crystals and their technological applications. CA2DM's research portfolio includes four closely related areas. Its graphene programme covers wafer-scale crystal growth, advanced characterization, multilayer architectures, composite materials, spintronics, valleytronics, graphene-ferroelectric memories, and graphene spin-torque transistors. The 2D-materials programme examines the growth and properties of atomically thin crystals and the construction of complex architectures. The 2D-device programme addresses flexible electronics, strain engineering, thin-film transfer, nanoscale patterning, photovoltaic and OLED electrodes, gas barriers, energy conversion and storage, optical components, biosensors, and cell-growth platforms. Its theory group uses computation to model new materials and architectures and to study spin and valley degrees of freedom. The centre has also participated in wider collaborative programmes. One example is a S$50 million National Research Foundation CREATE grant involving NUS, the University of California, Berkeley, and Nanyang Technological University to investigate photovoltaic systems based on 2D crystals. Such collaborations illustrate CA2DM's role in connecting Singapore-based research with international universities and application-oriented technology programmes. In 2019, Konstantin Novoselov joined NUS as a Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. His appointment reinforced NUS's international profile in graphene and 2D-materials research. CA2DM's outputs are primarily academic and technological rather than consumer products: they include materials, fabrication techniques, models, characterization methods, prototype devices, publications, patents, and research partnerships. The centre's long-term objective is to develop a scientific and engineering foundation for electronics, photonics, energy, catalysis, and biomedical applications based on two-dimensional crystals.

• 2019

  Konstantin Novoselov joins NUS

  [1]Centre for Advanced 2D Materialsen.wikipedia.org

  The Nobel laureate joined NUS as a Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.

• 2014

  Renamed Centre for Advanced 2D Materials

  [1]Centre for Advanced 2D Materialsen.wikipedia.org

  The former Graphene Research Centre broadened its scientific scope to include additional 2D materials and adopted its current name.

• 2014

  Designated an NRF Medium-Sized Centre

  [1]Centre for Advanced 2D Materialsen.wikipedia.org

  CA2DM became a National Research Foundation Medium-Sized Centre and received a S$50 million grant for its research programme.

• 2012

  Micro- and nanofabrication facility announced

  [1]Centre for Advanced 2D Materialsen.wikipedia.org

  The centre announced a dedicated facility to support graphene fabrication and the development of graphene-related products.

• 2010

  Graphene Research Centre established

  [1]Centre for Advanced 2D Materialsen.wikipedia.org

  NUS created the Graphene Research Centre under Antonio H. Castro Neto, with dedicated laboratories, clean-room infrastructure, and institutional start-up funding.

• 2010

  Scientific advice from graphene Nobel laureates

  [1]Centre for Advanced 2D Materialsen.wikipedia.org

  Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov provided scientific advice during the centre's formation; they received the Nobel Prize in Physics in the same year for graphene-related work.

An interdisciplinary university research centre positioned at the intersection of fundamental 2D-materials science, nanofabrication, device engineering, computational modelling, and technology translation.

• Two-dimensional materials · 2010

  Graphene materials

  Research materials based on graphene, including atomically thin and potentially wafer-scale crystals. CA2DM work covers synthesis, structural and electronic characterization, multilayer architectures, composites, and integration into experimental electronic, photonic, energy, and biomedical platforms.

• Two-dimensional materials · 2014

  Two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides

  Atomically thin transition-metal dichalcogenides and related 2D crystals became part of the centre's programme after its research scope expanded beyond graphene. Work includes crystal growth, characterization, computational modelling, and exploration of their electronic, optical, spin, and valley properties.

• Research devices and prototypes

  2D-material device platforms

  Experimental platforms using atomically thin materials for flexible electronics, photovoltaic and OLED electrodes, gas barriers, energy storage, water splitting, fuel cells, optical fibre-laser components, biosensing, stem-cell growth, catalysis, and electrochemical systems. These are research outputs and prototypes rather than documented mass-market products.

• Scientific modelling

  Computational 2D-material models

  Theory and computational research covering new atomically thin materials, complex layered architectures, spintronics, and valleytronics. The models support prediction and interpretation of material behaviour and help guide experimental research and device concepts.

• 2014

  Expand from graphene to advanced 2D materialsStrategy

  Background

  The Graphene Research Centre had expanded its research to materials beyond graphene, including two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides.

  Action taken

  NUS renamed the organisation the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials and broadened its institutional research identity.

  Aftermath

  The centre's stated scope came to encompass a wider family of atomically thin materials, device architectures, and applications.

  National Research Foundation grant. S$50 million (2014)

  Source

• 2014

  Participate in an international 2D-photovoltaics collaborationStrategy

  Background

  The National Research Foundation supported collaborative research into photovoltaic systems using two-dimensional crystals.

  Action taken

  CA2DM participated in a S$50 million CREATE programme with the University of California, Berkeley and Nanyang Technological University.

  Aftermath

  The programme connected CA2DM's materials research with international collaboration and photovoltaic applications.

  CREATE grant. S$50 million

  Source

• 2012

  Develop dedicated graphene fabrication infrastructureOther

  Background

  Research translation required facilities capable of producing and processing graphene-based structures and devices.

  Action taken

  The centre announced a S$15 million micro- and nanofabrication facility.

  Aftermath

  The facility was intended to strengthen experimental manufacturing and product-development capabilities.

  Facility investment. S$15 million (2012)

  Source

1. 1Centre for Advanced 2D Materialsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Centre for Advanced 2D Materials official websitegraphene.nus.edu.sg