Nanoscale integration of two-dimensional materials by lateral heteroepitaxy

Materials integration in heterostructures with novel properties different from those of the constituents has become one of the most powerful concepts of modern materials science. Two-dimensional (2D) crystals represent a new class of materials from which such engineered structures can be envisioned. Calculations have predicted emergent properties in 2D heterostructures with nanoscale feature sizes, but methods for their controlled fabrication have been lacking. Here, we use sequential graphene and boron nitride growth on Ru(0001) to show that lateral heteroepitaxy, the joining of 2D materials by preferential incorporation of different atomic species into exposed 1D edges during chemical vapor deposition on a metal substrate, can be used for the bottom-up synthesis of 2D heterostructures with characteristic dimensions on the nanoscale. Our results suggest that on a proper substrate, this method lends itself to building nanoheterostructures from a wide range of 2D materials.