A research team led by Professor Yang Shubin, Professor Gong Yongji, and Professor Tang Peizhe from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Beihang University, in collaboration with Professor Song Li from the University of Science and Technology of China, has developed a new type of non-van der Waals (non-vdW) superlattice material, setting a new world record for synthetic materials with comparable thickness. The findings were published as a full-length Article in Nature on October 22, 2025, under the title "Non-van der Waals superlattices of carbides and carbonitrides."

Dr. Zhao Qi from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Beihang University is the first author, while Professor Yang Shubin serves as the corresponding author. Beihang University is the primary affiliation for this research.

Superlattices—periodically stacked structures often based on two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) materials such as graphene—exhibit unique physical properties, including superconductivity, ferromagnetism, and topological insulating states. These characteristics make them promising for applications in electronics and energy storage. However, conventional vdW superlattices face limitations due to weak interface coupling, sensitivity to environmental fluctuations, and complex fabrication requirements.

To address these challenges, Professor Yang's team presents an efficient synthetic protocol that achieves a family of non-vdW superlattices of carbides and carbonitrides, featuring hydrogen bonding between layers through a stiffness-mediated rolling-up strategy. The crucial step involves customizing the bending stiffness of the atomic layers derived from MAX phases by creating metal vacancies in MX slabs, triggering their ordered rolling-up under rapid flexural deformation.

Figure 1: Schematic of the formation of non-vdW superlattices

Unlike vdW superlattices, the non-vdW superlattices with hydrogen bonding afford robust interlayer electronic coupling with highly concentrated charge carriers (10²²cm⁻³). Consequently, the superlattices exhibit a notable electrical conductivity of about 30,000 S cm⁻¹, which is around 22 times that of the counterparts. When used in electromagnetic interference shielding, the optimal non-vdW superlattice film demonstrates a remarkable shielding effectiveness of 124 dB, surpassing that of any known synthetic materials with comparable thickness and setting a new world record.

Figure 2: Structural characterizations of non-vdW superlattices (V₂CT_x moiré superlattices)

Figure 3: Electrical transport and magnetotransport properties of a single non-vdW superlattice (V₂CT_x superlattice)

Figure 4: EMI shielding effectiveness of non-vdW superlattices (V₂CT_x superlattices)

This breakthrough opens new pathways for designing non-vdW superlattices and exploring unprecedented physical properties and functions. The non-vdW superlattices are anticipated to markedly broaden the material platform, offering variable compositions and crystal structures for new developments in artificially stacked systems.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key Basic Research and Development Program of China, and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF. The team also acknowledged the critical support from the Analysis & Testing Center of Beihang University, Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory in Hefei, and HCUNI for EMI shielding effectiveness measurement.

Link to the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09649-w

Editor: Lyu Xingyun