Jiang Group Cover Article in JACS
Prof. Jiang Group’s recent publication was chosen as the cover story in the latest issue of JACS. Entitled "Angstrom-Scale Spectroscopic Visualization of Interfacial Interactions in an Organic/Borophene Vertical Heterostructure", the Jiang group reported the coupling optical spectroscopy and imaging with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to demonstrate record breaking angstrom-scale investigation of low-dimensional functional systems. The group investigated molecule-induced strain in borophene (a polymer made of boron), which was found to propagate ~1 nm beyond the molecular region. This intriguing “strain spillover” effect is of significant interest for applications in molecular electronics. This work suggests a generalizable experimental strategy for strain engineering of 2D materials via organic modification, in contrast to the conventional approach by controlling the deformation of the substrate.