The recent progress in the studies of 2D materials has brought forth many experimental and theoretical works on an interesting class of materials: the so-called transition metal phosphorus trichalcogenides with the structural formula MPX₃ (M: transition metal, X: chalcogen).

Here, the diversity in the M/X combination opens the possibility to tune the electronic and magnetic properties of these materials over a wide range, resulting in many interesting physical phenomena and promoting their use in various application areas.

In my talk, I will present several exciting examples of studies on the electronic structure of different MPX₃ materials using photoelectron spectroscopy methods (XPS, NEXAFS, ResPES, and ARPES). Additionally, I will discuss very recent spectroscopic results accompanied by large-scale systematic DFT calculations for the graphene/MPX₃ heterosystem, addressing some controversial aspects regarding the electronic and magnetic properties of such interfaces.

This talk may be of interest to a wide audience of researchers working in different fields of solid-state physics/chemistry, materials science, and in the area of 2D materials.