About

Arend van der Zande is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois. He earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2011. As the Principal Investigator of the van der Zande Lab, his research focuses on nanoengineering in the two-dimensional (2D) limit, particularly involving 2D materials and their mechanical and electronic properties. His lab works on areas such as in-plane anisotropic 2D materials, 2D heterostructure fabrication, process-induced strain engineering in 2D materials, and applications of 2D materials in stretchable electronics and quantum device fabrication. The lab also explores the mechanics of 2D material interfaces and the impact of van der Waals interfaces on 2D nanoelectromechanical systems. Through his leadership, the lab supports a diverse group of postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate interns engaged in cutting-edge research on 2D materials and their applications in nanoelectromechanical systems and electronics.

Research topics

• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology
• Materials science
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Physics
• Biology
• Molecular biology
• Biochemistry
• Chromatography
• Composite material

Selected publications

• Strain-tunable inter-valley scattering defines universal mobility enhancement in n- and p-type 2D TMDs

  npj 2D Materials and Applications · 2026-03-31

  articleOpen access

  Strain fundamentally alters carrier transport in semiconductors by modifying their band structure and scattering pathways. In transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), an emerging class of 2D semiconductors, we show that mobility modulation under biaxial strain is dictated by changes in inter-valley scattering rather than effective mass renormalization as in bulk silicon. Using a multiscale full-band transport framework that incorporates both intrinsic phonon, extrinsic impurity, and dielectric scattering, we find that tensile strain enhances n-type mobility through K–Q valley separation, while compressive strain improves p-type mobility via Γ–K decoupling. The tuning rates calculated from our full-band model far exceed those achieved by strain engineering in silicon. Both relaxed and strain-modulated carrier mobilities align quantitatively with experimentally verified measurements and are valid across a wide range of practical FET configurations. The enhancement remains robust across variations in temperature, carrier density, impurity level, and dielectric environment. Our results highlight the pivotal role of strain in improving the reliability and performance of 2D TMD-based electronics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Atomic and Electronic Structure of Strongly Charged Domain Walls in van der Waals α-In$_2$Se$_3$

  ArXiv.org · 2026-01-27

  articleOpen access

  Here, we use atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and first principles calculations to study the atomic and electronic structure of strongly charged domain walls in $α$-In$_2$Se$_3$. STEM imaging and density functional theory (DFT) show that head-to-head (HH) domain walls contain a layer of nonpolar $β$-In$_2$Se$_3$, whereas tail-to-tail (TT) domain walls are atomically abrupt. We apply 4D STEM and multislice electron ptychography to map ferroelectric domains in 2D and 3D, showing that nearly $180^\circ$ domain walls exhibit complex, curved 3D structures that differ from ideal $180^\circ$ structures. Band structure calculations show localized conducting states within a $\sim$ 1 nm thick layer at both HH and TT domain walls, such as a midgap state at the $β$ layer of the HH domain wall. These properties make strongly charged domain walls in $α$-In$_2$Se$_3$ excellent candidates for realizing 2D electron or hole gases and domain wall engineering in van der Waals ferroelectrics.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Field‐Effect Transistors from Artificial Charged Domain Walls in Stacked Van der Waals Ferroelectric α‐In ₂ Se ₃

  Advanced Materials · 2026-01-30 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  ABSTRACT Ferroelectric charged domain walls (CDWs) offer emergent electronic states that can serve as functional elements in high‐density nonvolatile memory and neuromorphic computing. Yet, poor conductivity, structural instability, and lack of deterministic control limit their practical use. Moreover, the CDWs are typically out‐of‐plane and buried interfaces, which prohibits electrical access and prevents gate control of their carrier density. This work demonstrates the fabrication of artificial in‐plane CDWs by stacking oppositely polarized flakes of van der Waals (vdW) ferroelectric ‐In 2 Se 3 . Edge contact is utilized to electrically access the CDWs and integrate them into CDW‐based field‐effect transistors (CDW‐FETs). CDW‐FETs exhibit room‐temperature conductance up to four orders of magnitude higher than single domains, exceeding previously reported CDWs by 2–9 orders of magnitude. Electron microscopy imaging reveals atomic reconstruction and interfacial heterogeneity in CDWs. Temperature and gate‐dependent electrical and magneto‐transport measurements confirm that interfacial band bending governs transport. Two transport mechanisms are identified in these CDW‐FETs: variable‐range hopping and thermally activated traps, showing a transition temperature of 80 K. These results establish artificial CDWs as on‐demand, designable conductive channels in vdW ferroelectrics, advancing the understanding of CDW conduction mechanisms and bridging the gap toward device integration.

  PublisherDOI

• Atomic and Electronic Structure of Strongly Charged Domain Walls in van der Waals α-In ₂ Se ₃

  Nano Letters · 2026-04-20

  articleOpen access

  Here, we use atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and first-principles calculations to study the atomic and electronic structure of strongly charged domain walls in α-In2Se3. STEM imaging and density functional theory (DFT) show that head-to-head (HH) domain walls contain a layer of β/β'-In2Se3, whereas tail-to-tail (TT) domain walls are atomically abrupt. We apply 4D STEM and multislice electron ptychography to map ferroelectric domains in 2D and 3D, showing that nearly 180° domain walls exhibit complex, curved 3D structures that differ from ideal 180° structures. First-principles simulations predict localized conducting states within an ∼1 nm thick layer at both HH and TT domain walls, such as a midgap state at the β layer of the HH domain wall. These properties make strongly charged domain walls in α-In2Se3 excellent candidates for realizing 2D electron or hole gases and domain wall engineering in van der Waals ferroelectrics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Field‐Effect Transistors from Artificial Charged Domain Walls in Stacked Van der Waals Ferroelectric α‐In ₂ Se ₃ (Adv. Mater. 20/2026)

  Advanced Materials · 2026-04-01

  articleSenior author

  Van der Waals Ferroelectric By transferring van der Waals ferroelectrics with opposite polarization, it is possible to create an artificial highly conducting charge domain wall at the interface. This provides a new strategy for engineering emergent states in van der Waals materials and a new route for synthesizing on demand and electrically addressable charge domain walls. More details can be found in the Research Article by Arend M. van der Zande and co-workers (DOI: 10.1002/adma.202523096).

  PublisherDOI

• Atomic and Electronic Structure of Strongly Charged Domain Walls in van der Waals α-In$_2$Se$_3$

  Open MIND · 2026-01-27

  preprint

  Here, we use atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and first principles calculations to study the atomic and electronic structure of strongly charged domain walls in $α$-In$_2$Se$_3$. STEM imaging and density functional theory (DFT) show that head-to-head (HH) domain walls contain a layer of nonpolar $β$-In$_2$Se$_3$, whereas tail-to-tail (TT) domain walls are atomically abrupt. We apply 4D STEM and multislice electron ptychography to map ferroelectric domains in 2D and 3D, showing that nearly $180^\circ$ domain walls exhibit complex, curved 3D structures that differ from ideal $180^\circ$ structures. Band structure calculations show localized conducting states within a $\sim$ 1 nm thick layer at both HH and TT domain walls, such as a midgap state at the $β$ layer of the HH domain wall. These properties make strongly charged domain walls in $α$-In$_2$Se$_3$ excellent candidates for realizing 2D electron or hole gases and domain wall engineering in van der Waals ferroelectrics.

  DOI

• Strain-induced Moiré Reconstruction and Memorization in Two-Dimensional Materials without Twist

  ArXiv.org · 2025-10-15

  preprintOpen access

  Two-dimensional (2D) materials with a twist between layers exhibit a moiré interference pattern with larger periodicity than any of the constituent layer unit cells. In these systems, a wealth of exotic phases appear that result from moiré-dependent many-body electron correlation effects or non-trivial band topology. One problem with using twist to generate moiré interference has been the difficulty in creating high-quality, uniform, and repeatable samples due to fabrication through mechanical stacking with viscoelastic stamps. Here we show, a new method to generate moiré interference through the controlled application of layer-by-layer strain (heterostrain) on non-twisted 2D materials, where moiré interference results from strain-induced lattice mismatch without twisting or stacking. Heterostrain generation is achieved by depositing stressed thin films onto 2D materials to apply large strains to the top layers while leaving layers further down less strained. We achieve deterministic control of moiré periodicity and symmetry in non-twisted 2D multilayers and bilayers, with 97% yield, through varying stressor film force (film thickness X film stress) and geometry. Moiré reconstruction effects are memorized after the removal of the stressor layers. Control over the strain degree-of-freedom opens the door to a completely unexplored set of unrealized tunable moiré geometric symmetries, which may now be achieved in a high-yield and user-skill independent process taking only hours. This technique solves a long-standing throughput bottleneck in new moiré quantum materials discovery and opens the door to industrially-compatible manufacturing for 2D moiré-based electronic or optical devices.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Detecting DNA Translocation through a Nanopore using a van der Waals Heterojunction Diode

  Research Square · 2025-04-25 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• The Next 25 Years of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: A <i>Nano Letters</i> Roadmap

  Nano Letters · 2025-08-27 · 8 citations

  editorialOpen access

  Recommendations2 025 marks the 25th anniversary of Nano Letters, and to celebrate this milestone, our editorial team has put together a Roadmap for the next 25 years.Nanoscience and nanotechnology have come a long way since the first journals dedicated exclusively to nanoscale concepts were founded.In this prospective piece, we have identified 7 macroscale themes broken down into 16 key topical areas and speculated about their strategic, developmental, and translational milestones.We have tried to be specific and quantitative regarding examples highlighted without being overly prescriptive.We have also done our best to propose big-picture and high-risk breakthroughs that will require integrated disciplinary expertise, significant resource investments, and decades-long time horizons for realization.We hope that you are as optimistic and excited about the future of nanoscience as we are and that this Roadmap can be an aspirational and functional guidepost for our community.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Detecting DNA Translocation through a Nanopore using a van der Waals Heterojunction Diode

  Research Square · 2025-04-08

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Deformation and interfacial slip in two-dimensional material heterostructures

  NSF · $500k · 2019–2025

Frequent coauthors

• James Hone

  Columbia University

  66 shared

• Pinshane Y. Huang

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  48 shared

• Tony F. Heinz

  42 shared

• Nicholas Petrone

  Columbia University

  31 shared

• Paul L. McEuen

  Cornell University

  28 shared

• Chee Wei Wong

  27 shared

• Yue Zhang

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  27 shared

• Tingyi Gu

  University of Delaware

  27 shared

Labs

• Nanoengineering in the 2D limitPI

  The van der Zande Lab

Education

• PhD, Physics

  Cornell University

  2011

Awards & honors

• 2022 Society of Engineering Science Young Investigator Medal
• NSF CAREER award
• Clarivate Analytics list of the world's most influential res…