In this review article, recent advances in the synthesis and applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials are systematically examined, with a particular emphasis on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. First, the fundamental growth principles and key parameters governing the CVD process—including temperature, pressure, carrier gas flow rate, precursor type, and substrate characteristics—are discussed in detail. Subsequently, common CVD approaches such as APCVD, LPCVD, PECVD, MOCVD, and LECVD are compared in terms of growth capability, advantages, and inherent limitations. In the following section, strategies for achieving controlled growth of single-crystalline 2D materials are reviewed, along with the influence of critical factors such as grain size, layer number, morphology, crystal orientation, crystal phase, doping, and structural defects on crystallinity and optoelectronic properties. In addition, lateral and vertical heterostructures are highlighted, with particular attention to their role in band engineering and carrier transport modulation.

Another major part of this review focuses on 2D material-based photodetectors, where the fundamental detection mechanisms—including photoconductive, photovoltaic, photogating, and photothermal effects—are analyzed. Key performance metrics such as responsivity, quantum efficiency, response time, signal-to-noise ratio, and specific detectivity are also evaluated and compared across different device architectures. Finally, the main challenges in this field are discussed, including wafer-scale growth, defect control, infrared photodetection.