Van Der Waals Thin Films

Winner: 2024 Materials Chemistry Horizon Prize: Stephanie L Kwolek Prize

For the development of van der Waals thin films with high electronic performance, mechanical stretchability, and permeability for highly flexible, adaptable and breathable bioelectronic membranes.

Celebrate Van der Waals Thin Films

#欧美AVPrizes

Leave congratulations on this page

Van der Waals Thin Films is a team from UCLA working with collaborators from the University of Texas Austin and Hunan University.

The team has developed a novel concept for van der Waals thin films (vdWTFs) made up of two-dimensional, layered sheets arranged such that adjacent sheets interact via van der Waals forces. This makes them highly stretchable, permeable (allowing liquids and gases to pass in and out), and capable of demonstrating high performance when used in electronic applications, even when stretched. These properties make them ideal for use in bioelectronic (a field which interfaces electronics with living systems) membrane applications where it is important that the film is breathable.

The breakthrough provides the foundation for a new generation of electronics that can seamlessly integrate with living things. Potential applications include wearable health monitoring devices, human-machine interfaces, robotic technologies, and artificial intelligence. It could also enable cellular-scale bioelectronics to accurately monitor electrophysiological signals at the organism or cell level and pave the way for synthetic electronic-cellular hybrids.

We are honoured to receive this recognition from the 欧美AV. I am grateful to the talented and dedicated team who have made this possible. We are excited to further develop and leverage our vdWTFs for various technologies, particularly wearable healthcare devices.

The team

See full team

Bocheng Cao, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Jun Chen, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles

Peng Chen, Postdoc, University of California, Los Angeles

Mengning Ding, Postdoc, University of California, Los Angeles

Xidong Duan, Professor, Hunan University, China

Xiangfeng Duan, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles

Udayabagya Halim, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Yu Huang, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles

Chuancheng Jia, Postdoc, University of California, Los Angeles

Mufan Li, Ph.D, University of California, Los Angeles

Zhaoyang Lin, Postdoc, University of California, Los Angeles

Yuan Liu, Postdoc, University of California, Los Angeles

Yuanyue Liu, Professor , The University of Texas at Austin

Huaying Ren, Postdoc, University of California, Los Angeles

Frank Song, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Chengzhang Wan, Ph.D. , University of California, Los Angeles

Chen Wang, Ph.D. , University of California, Los Angeles

Laiyuan Wang, Postdoc, University of California, Los Angeles

Peiqi Wang, Ph.D, University of California, Los Angeles

Yiliu Wang, Ph.D, University of California, Los Angeles

Dong Xu, Ph.D, University of California, Los Angeles

Zhuocheng Yan, Visiting scholar, University of California, Los Angeles

Xun Zhao, Ph.D, University of California, Los Angeles

Jingxuan Zhou, Ph.D, University of California, Los Angeles

Q&A

What was your role within the team?

Xiangfeng Duan: My main roles entail designing research, troubleshooting experimental issues, interpreting results, and organizing and presenting findings.

Zhaoyang Lin: I initially assembled the van der Waals thin films using solution-processable 2D nanosheet ink materials, following the idea proposed by Professor Xiangfeng Duan 10 years ago. Then, I spent several years optimizing the 2D material synthesis, ink formulation, film assembly technique, and electronic device fabrication/measurement.

What were the biggest challenges in this project?

Zhaoyang Lin: Making a solution-processable inorganic semiconducting thin film that can simultaneously deliver competitive electronic performance and great flexibility/stretchability was certainly challenging. Representative milestones include the first demonstration of high-performance van der Waals thin films from solution-processable ink materials, the realization of nearly 50% stretchability, and application on plant leaves and human skin.

Zhuocheng Yan: The biggest challenges in this project involved two critical areas. Firstly, the fabrication of high-quality van der Waals thin films (vdWTFs) posed a significant challenge. Achieving broad-area plane-to-plane VDW contacts among defect-free 2D nanosheets to form uniform vdWTFs and ensuring excellent electronic and mechanical performance required advanced materials engineering and precise manufacturing process control. Secondly, integrating vdWTFs seamlessly with biological systems presented a complex challenge. This required ensuring that the films could not only conform to dynamic living organisms without causing damage or discomfort but also function effectively within the biological environment, maintaining stability and performance for reliable bioelectronic applications. These challenges demanded innovative solutions in materials science and bioengineering to realize the full potential of VDWTFs in bioelectronic applications.

What different strengths did different people bring to the team?

Zhuocheng Yan: Our team was composed of individuals (MA and PhD students, as well as postdoctoral research fellows and visiting scholars) with expertise in chemistry, materials science, bioengineering, and flexible electronics. This diverse skill set allowed us to tackle complex problems from multiple angles, whether it was synthesizing the 2D nanosheet inks, assembling high performance 2D nanosheets to thin-film electronic components and merging vdWTFs electronic devices with living tissues.

Why is this work so important and exciting?

Zhaoyang Lin: You can imagine next-generation electronic devices that can attach to the human skin just like tattoos. These devices not only monitor your health condition, body status, and surrounding environments but also work as an on-skin computer to analyze all the data and send the results to your phone and doctor. Although we are not there yet, our work has pushed us one step closer to this exciting future.

Zhuocheng Yan: This work is important and exciting because it bridges the gap between rigid, high-performance electronic materials and soft biological tissues, enabling the development of bioelectronics that can seamlessly interface with living plants, human skin, and other soft tissues. This has significant implications for intelligent agriculture, environmental monitoring, human health monitoring and medical devices, making our research highly impactful.

Where do you see the biggest impact of this technology/research being?

Zhaoyang Lin: Our research can help the development of wearable electronic devices which may find exciting applications in flexible displays, electronic skin, and wearable healthcare devices.

Zhuocheng Yan: The biggest impact of this technology is likely to be in the field of wearable electronics and personalised medicine. By enabling more conformal and comfortable electronic devices that can monitor health indicators in real time, our technology could revolutionise the way we track and manage personal health.

How will this work be used in real life applications?

Zhuocheng Yan: In real life, our van der Waals thin films could be used in wearable biosensors for plants and humans. Merging vdWTFs with the human body enables skin-gate vdWTF transistors to monitor vital signs such as heart rate, muscle activity, and brain function and can be used in advanced medical patches. They also have potential applications in neural interfaces, soft robotics, and as interfaces for prosthetic devices.

How do you see this work developing over the next few years, and what is next for this technology/research?

Zhaoyang Lin: We are contacting potential industry partners and exploring commercialisation opportunities. And we hope to see the application of our stretchable van der Waals membrane in real life. Meanwhile, further efforts to improve the electronic performance of the film, material synthesis/manufacturing process, and prototypic devices are still ongoing in our group.

Zhuocheng Yan: Over the next few years, I see this technology (vdWTF bioelectronics) advancing towards more complex integrations with living systems, including intelligent agriculture and neural interfaces. There is also potential for scaling up the production process to enable widespread use in various consumer and medical applications, such as VR techniques and electronic skin for health monitoring.

What does good research culture look like or mean to you?

Zhaoyang Lin: A collaborative, open, and inclusive environment is key to a good research culture so that each member can have the opportunity to fulfil their own potential in scientific research. It would be ideal if we could realize the worldwide collaboration to include more researchers and combine their efforts.

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?

Xiangfeng Duan: The chemical sciences have played a critical role in the modern electronic industry. As we transition into the post-Moore or more-than-Moore era, the chemical sciences are poised to play an ever-increasing role in future electronic advancements. This includes the development of novel materials to propel ongoing progress in information technology and to usher in entirely new paradigms in quantum information science, as well as the creation of materials for emerging electronic formats and ubiquitous sensor networks that can seamlessly merge with soft biological systems and the human body. Importantly, advancements in the chemical sciences can help achieve these diverse goals in a manner that is less wasteful, more energy-efficient, or entirely renewable.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Xiangfeng Duan: Stay curious, questioning assumptions and never taking anything for granted. Maintain rationality, rejecting superstitions and embracing logic; Exercise critical thinking, challenging the status quo and seeking innovation. Pursue passion relentlessly and refuse to settle.