The exploration of new materials is of importance to physical property engineering and device applications. Two-dimensional quantum materials, including metals, semi-metals, semiconductors, insulators, superconductors, etc., have shown abundance of exotic physical phenomena and are expected to be applied in electronics and photo-electronic devices with new principles and ultra-low power. We use a variety of growth means to obtain two-dimensional quantum materials of high quality and crystallinity, and adopt optical, electric and tip characterization methods to explore their exotic physical properties including magnetoelectric coupling, electronic correlation effect, superconductivity, proximity effect and band topology, etc. For 2D materials showing application potential, we explore large-area growth based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and other growth methods, and develop integration processes for practical device applications.

Calculating the basic physical properties and evolution of complex quantum systems has far exceeded the computing power of the current state-of-the-art computers. Quantum simulators provide new experimental methods and platforms for solving such problems. Two-dimensional layered materials and their heterojunctions are ideal platforms for developing high-density integratable, highly tunable and easy-to-read solid-state quantum simulators due to their rich physical properties and excellent tunability. Quantum simulators based on 2D materials thus provide unprecedented opportunities for simulating and understanding the evolution of exotic properties in complex quantum systems (for example, quantum phase transitions and quantum critical behaviors, quantum fluctuations, etc.).

Two-dimensional quantum materials are promising electronic materials in the post-Moore era. It is a critical scientific question about how to design novel information devices based on the unique physical properties of two-dimensional quantum materials and relevant engineering mechanism. Our study mainly focuses on the tuning of various physical degrees of freedom, such as charge, spin, energy valley, interlayer stacking order and topological order, etc., in two-dimensional materials and their heterostructures to develop proof-of-concept electronic and photoelectronic devices.

The human brain is the most complex intelligent system in the known universe. It is also the most perfect information processing system in nature, with the capability of adaptive, continuous learning and highly parallel computing, while consuming very little power (only about 20 watts). What makes brain special is its unique physical structure and the specific functions of different types of cells. By emulating the structure, the functions and the information processing mode of the human brain, it is expected to realize "brain-like computing system" with high intelligence and very low power consumption in the future. Based on the unique properties and structures of low-dimensional quantum materials, we carry out the research on device- and system-level brain-like computing from the aspects of information detection and synchronous processing, information coding, and in-depth processing and understanding of information, etc.