MSE News

The research team led by Professor Zonghoon Lee (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, UNIST) and Dr. Kangsik Kim (coauthor) has published a “News & Views” article in the October 2025 issue of Nature Materials, one of the most prestigious journals in the field of materials science. The article titled “Interlayer mechanical coupling in van der Waals (vdW) materials” introduces the latest research findings on interlayer coupling in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials and discusses future directions in this field.

In this News & Views article, the authors highlight recent discoveries on how interlayer bonding in 2D materials gives rise to new forms of crack propagation and fracture behavior, while also offering perspectives on atomic scale nanomechanical studies using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The article emphasizes that although 2D vdW materials are known for their weak interlayer bonding, these bonds can prevent fractures and even promote re-bonding, enhancing mechanical properties. Using TEM analysis, this research demonstrates that 2D materials can strengthen themselves through atomic scale structural rearrangements. These insights are expected to play a crucial role in improving the stability and durability of flexible electronic devices, transparent displays and wearable sensors based on 2D vdW materials.

Professor Lee’s group has been recognized internationally for pioneering in situ TEM nanomechanics research for 2D materials. In 2024, the team reported that the first real-time observation of crack propagation in graphene-nanoparticle composites using TEM. Professor Lee’s contribution to this News and Views article reflects his group’s leadership in studying the atomic-scale mechanical behavior of low-dimensional materials.