Researchers at Rutgers University–New Brunswick have identified a new class of materials called intercrystals that could play a key role in powering future technologies.
These materials exhibit novel electronic behaviors that, according to the research team, could lead to advances in efficient electronic components, quantum computing, and more sustainable materials.
In a study published in Nature Materials, the team described how they created intercrystals by stacking two ultrathin graphene layers—each just one atom thick—at a slight twist angle on a layer of hexagonal boron nitride, a material made of boron and nitrogen atoms arranged in a hexagonal grid.
This delicate misalignment formed moiré patterns, interference patterns similar to those seen when overlapping fine mesh screens, which dramatically altered how electrons moved through the structure.
Our discovery opens a new path for material design. Intercrystals give us a new handle to control electronic behavior using geometry alone, without having to change the material’s chemical composition.
Eva Andrei, Board of Governors Professor and Study Lead Author, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University
By better understanding and manipulating the behavior of electrons within these materials, researchers believe intercrystals could lead to more efficient transistors and sensors—technologies that traditionally rely on more complex materials and processing techniques.
You can imagine designing an entire electronic circuit where every function – switching, sensing, signal propagation – is controlled by tuning geometry at the atomic level. Intercrystals could be the building blocks of such future technologies.
Jedediah Pixley, Study Co-Author and Associate Professor, Physics, Rutgers University
This research builds on a growing field in physics known as twistronics, where materials are layered at precise angles to form moiré patterns. These configurations can significantly alter electron behavior, giving rise to properties not seen in conventional crystals.
Andrei and her team helped launch this field back in 2009 when they demonstrated that twisted graphene structures could reshape electronic properties, sparking interest in moiré-pattern-based materials.
In typical crystals—materials with a repeating atomic grid—electron movement is well understood and predictable due to their symmetry. But in intercrystals, even small structural changes can dramatically impact electronic properties.
This opens the door to unusual phenomena like superconductivity and magnetism—traits not usually found in standard crystals. Superconductors, for example, conduct electricity with zero resistance, enabling continuous current flow.
The researchers believe intercrystals could contribute to next-generation electronics, including low-loss circuits, atomic-scale sensors, and components for quantum computers and other advanced devices.
“Because these structures can be made out of abundant, non-toxic elements such as carbon, boron and nitrogen, rather than rare earth elements, they also offer a more sustainable and scalable pathway for future technologies,” said Andrei.
Intercrystals stand apart from conventional crystals and quasicrystals, a type of material discovered in 1982 with an ordered but non-repeating structure.
The Rutgers team coined the term intercrystals because these materials combine traits of both: like quasicrystals, they feature non-repeating patterns, but they also share certain symmetries with regular crystals.
“The discovery of quasicrystals in the 1980s challenged the old rules about atomic order. With intercrystals, we go a step further, showing that materials can be engineered to access new phases of matter by exploiting geometric frustration at the smallest scale,” said Andrei.
The team is optimistic about where this discovery could lead.
“This is just the beginning. We are excited to see where this discovery will lead us and how it will impact technology and science in the years to come,” said Pixley.
Other Rutgers contributors to the study included research associates Xinyuan Lai, Guohong Li, and Angela Coe of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Collaborators from Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science also took part in the research.
Journal Reference:
Lai, X., et al. (2025) Moiré periodic and quasiperiodic crystals in heterostructures of twisted bilayer graphene on hexagonal boron nitride. Nature Materials. doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02222-w