Supported by the projects from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52125207, 52072014, 52202204), Professor Shubin Yang and his collaborators at Beihang University have achieved new progress in the field of superlattice materials. The related findings were published in Nature on October 22, 2025, with the title "Non-van der Waals superlattices of carbides and carbonitrides." Link to full text: https://www.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09649-w.

Superlattice materials are a novel class of material systems, constructed by periodically stacking two-dimensional materials, such as graphene and sulfides. They exhibit unique physical and chemical properties, including superconductivity, ferromagnetism, and topological insulating states, showing broad application prospects in electronic devices, energy storage, and other fields. However, current research in this area primarily focuses on 2D van der Waals superlattice systems, where interlayer interactions rely on weak van der Waals forces. These systems are susceptible to thermal disturbances and structural disorder, severely limiting the large-scale production and industrial application of superlattice materials.

To address above challenges, Professor Shubin Yang and his collaborators at Beihang University proposed a new "stiffness-mediated" synthesis strategy. By precisely controlling the bending stiffness of two-dimensional carbide/carbonitride (MXene), they enabled ordered curling during rapid deformation, constructing a series of new non-van der Waals superlattice materials coupled by interlayer hydrogen bonds. These non-van der Waals superlattices exhibit strong interlayer electron coupling, with carrier concentration as high as 10²² cm⁻³ and an electrical conductivity increased by more than 20 times, reaching 30,000 S cm⁻¹. Additionally, the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of these non-van der Waals superlattices reaches 124 dB, surpassing all reported electromagnetic shielding materials with the same thickness.

This research breaks through the limitations of traditional superlattice materials based on van der Waals two-dimensional materials and creates a new class of non-van der Waals superlattice materials, holding promise for applications in electronics, 5G/6G communications, energy storage and conversion.

Figure. Crystal structure and electrical properties of non-van der Waals superlattices. (a) Schematic diagram of the non-van der Waals superlattice structure. (b) Formation mechanism of non-van der Waals superlattices. (c) Atomic structure of non-van der Waals superlattices. (d) Electronic structure of non-van der Waals superlattices. (e) Electrical conductivity of non-van der Waals superlattices.