The next generation of electronic and optoelectronic devices
will require new materials with new properties. Low-dimensional and
nanostructured materials have the unusual electronic, optical,
mechanical, and plasmonic characteristics which hold the potential for
unconventional device paradigms. So it is crucial to investigate the
physical properties, processes, dynamics, and interactions of these
materials in order to evaluate their capabilities and to determine
which materials and devices will succeed. In this presentation, I
will describe spectroscopic experiments which probe the conductivity
and charge-carrier dynamics of two two-dimensional materials: graphene
and molybdenum disulfide. These measurements reveal the intrinsic
mobility of molybdenum disulfide, pointing to the ultimate performance
of molybdenum disulfide electronics, and also characterize plasma
oscillations and their interactions in graphene microstructures. I
will discuss how this research, which lies at the intersection of
applied physics, materials science, and devices, provides a basis for
informed engineering with these novel materials.