Fig. 3: Some representative works in the quantum defects within layered quantum materials and their development towards quantum sensing applications.

Given the rapid development of this field, we can only list part of them. For example, some of the research topics related to quantum emission from defects in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)^71,72,73,74, room temperature single photon emitters in hBN⁷⁵, magnetic field-dependent photoluminescence¹⁰², initialization and read-out of spin defects¹⁰⁵, nuclear spin polarization¹⁵⁸, quantum sensing imaging with layered materials (LMs)¹⁴⁷, isotopic control of spin defects¹²⁰, and sensing in liquids²²⁹. Figures adapted and reprinted with permission^{72,75,102,105,120,147,158,229}. Copyright by Springer Nature^{72,75,102,105,147,158}, American Physical Society¹²⁰, and American Chemical Society²²⁹