Exploring Moiré Materials and Beyond

Eva Y. Andrei, (PI)

Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

The discovery of graphene—a single layer of carbon atoms—revealed that materials only one atom thick can exhibit remarkable and

tunable electronic properties. Since then, a rapidly growing family of two-dimensional materials has emerged, enabling the creation of

designer structures by stacking and rotating ultrathin layers. Because every atom is exposed, these materials can be precisely controlled using external parameters such as electric fields, mechanical strain, and, most importantly, relative twist between layers. This control has opened new pathways to realize exotic quantum states of matter that do not occur in conventional materials.

A particularly powerful approach, known as twistronics, exploits the long-wavelength interference patterns (moiré structures) created

when two atomically thin layers are slightly misaligned. In twisted bilayer graphene, a specific “magic” twist angle dramatically reshapes

the electronic structure, allowing electrons to interact strongly and form new collective states. This discovery catalyzed an intense

research  that has uncovered unexpected phenomena such as unconventional superconductivity, topological electronic states, and

quantum phases governed by strong correlations.

This project seeks to resolve key open questions in moiré materials, including the origin of superconductivity, the nature of unusual

metallic behavior, and the fundamental limits on performance such as transition temperature and current-carrying capacity. It also aims to determine whether the moiré design principle—so successful in two dimensions—can be extended to more complex multilayer and three-dimensional systems, greatly expanding the landscape of quantum materials.

To address these challenges, the research will combine advanced experimental techniques that probe electronic structure, transport, and quantum noise at the nanoscale. By studying twisted graphene systems and newly engineered multilayer architectures, the project will

clarify how topology, dimensionality, and strong interactions work together to produce emergent quantum behavior. The results will

deepen our understanding of correlated quantum matter and provide guiding principles for designing next-generation materials with novel electronic functionalities.