van der Waals Nanoreactors - Part I: Concept and Realization

Advancing the chemical synthesis of crystals is important for both fundamental research and practical applications of quantum materials. We introduce van der Waals (vdW) stacks as nanochemical reactors for single-crystal synthesis and demonstrate their broad applicability in growing both elemental and compound crystals at the micrometer scale. As proof of concept, we synthesized isolated single crystals of elemental tellurium and distinct types of Pd-Te compounds. The concept of vdW nanoreactors offers a powerful and versatile pathway to expand the accessible landscape of quantum materials.