Single-layer materials

<p>In <a href="/facts/Materials_science/N5HrXRYW">materials science</a>, the term single-layer materials or 2D materials refers to <a href="/facts/Crystal/e2R2mk3E">crystalline</a> solids consisting of a single layer of atoms. These materials are promising for some applications but remain the focus of research. Single-layer materials derived from single elements generally carry the -ene suffix in their names, e.g. <a href="/facts/Graphene/QDGUBaPt">graphene</a>. Single-layer materials that are compounds of two or more elements have -ane or -ide suffixes. 2D materials can generally be categorized as either 2D allotropes of various elements or as compounds (consisting of two or more <a href="/facts/Covalently_bonding/EzMLf3Pz">covalently bonding</a> elements).
</p><p>It is predicted that there are hundreds of stable single-layer materials. The atomic structure and calculated basic properties of these and many other potentially synthesisable single-layer materials, can be found in computational databases. 2D materials can be produced using mainly two approaches: top-down exfoliation and bottom-up synthesis. The exfoliation methods include <a href="/facts/Sonication/RfKqX7t4">sonication</a>, mechanical, hydrothermal, electrochemical, laser-assisted, and microwave-assisted exfoliation.
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Single-layer materials open-in-new

Single-layer materials