Fall 2026 Physics Colloquium: No Strain, No Gain: Modifying Transport in 2D Materials by Engineering Strain

Title: No Strain, No Gain: Modifying Transport in 2D Materials by Engineering Strain

Abstract: Applying strain can drastically modify the properties of electronic materials – for example, strained silicon transistors showed huge mobility increases that revolutionized the computer industry. Now, there is wide interest in using strain to modify the next-generation of electronic materials: two-dimensional systems. Two-dimensional materials bridge the limits of superior electric tunability and high mechanical flexibility, making them excellent candidates for mechanical tuning of electronic properties. Strained graphene, in particular, is predicted to manifest a bandgap opening as well as novel physical effects such as large “pseudo”-magnetic fields. However, it is challenging to create global strain across graphene to modify transport. In this talk, we demonstrate how controllable, global strain in graphene can be engineered by depositing graphene on corrugated substrates. We show that strained graphene exhibits bandgap openings and pseudomagnetic field effects that depend on the magnitude of induced strain. Control of the strain degree of freedom provides a novel platform both for fundamental studies of 2D electron correlations and for prospective applications in 2D electronic devices.

Bio: Nady Mason is the Robert J Zimmer Professor of Molecular Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago. She is also Vice President for Research and was previously the Dean of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. She received her B.S. from Harvard University and her PhD from Stanford University, both in physics. Dr. Mason’s research focuses on the electronic properties of small-scale materials, such as nano-scale wires and atomically thin membranes. Her research is relevant to applications involving nano-scale and quantum computing elements. She is an advocate for communication and inclusivity in science and can be seen in a TED talk on “Scientific Curiosity” with more than half a million views. Dr. Mason is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has been recognized for her work with numerous awards, including the 2012 APS Maria Goeppert Mayer Award, the 2019 APS Bouchet Award, and the 2025 AAPT Richtmyer Award.

3:00 PM in PAS 201 / YouTube

Refreshments in PAS 236, 2:30PM