Two-dimensional materials by large-scale computations and chemical exfoliation of layered solids. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38484064/)

These scientists wanted to find new materials that are very thin, like a sheet of paper, but made of different elements. They used a special method to predict which 3D materials could be turned into these thin 2D materials by removing certain elements from them. They looked at a lot of different materials and found 119 that could potentially be changed into these thin materials.

To test their method, they chose a material called YRu(2)Si(2) that is not normally used for making thin materials. They removed the element Y from it and turned it into a new thin material called Ru(2)Si(x)O(y). This experiment showed that their method works and can help find many different thin materials from regular 3D materials.

Overall, these scientists discovered a new way to find and create thin materials by studying different types of substances, which opens up a lot of possibilities for new discoveries in the future.

Bjork J., Zhou J., Persson POA., Rosen J. Two-dimensional materials by large-scale computations and chemical exfoliation of layered solids. Science. 2024 Mar 15;383(6688):1210-1215. doi: 10.1126/science.adj6556. Epub 2024 Mar 14.