Vertically Aligned Graphene-Analogous Low-Dimensional Materials: A Review on Emerging Trends, Recent Developments, and Future Perspectives

2D materials exhibit strong physical orientation-dependent properties due to their intrinsic anisotropic crystallinity. Herein, the authors review the recent developments on the properties, preparation, and applications of emerging vertically aligned 2D materials. This report initially discusses the various properties of vertically aligned materials such as electronic, optical, magnetic, thermal, mechanical, and super wetting. The tuning of these properties is also highlighted based on strategies such as scale, doping, defect, vacancy, intercalation, and phase engineering. Then, this review provides a succinct and critical survey of the recent progress in designing, preparation techniques, and the manufacturing conditions of vertically aligned materials. After investigating the properties, tunability of properties, and preparation methods for vertically aligned 2D materials, their performances in numerous applications are comprehensively summarized. The presence of predominantly exposed edge sites significantly alters their properties and chemical reactivity owing to their enriched dangling bonds and offers several advantages for a wide range of applications including chemical and gas sensors, field emission, energy storage, catalysis, and optoelectronic devices. Finally, some developmental challenges, a few outlooks, future possibilities, and directions are summarized to inspire readers toward exploring vertically aligned 2D materials with new advances and functionalities.