Two Dimensional Atomic Crystals

TL;DR

This paper reports the successful preparation and characterization of stable, free-standing two-dimensional atomic crystals, including graphene and other layered materials, demonstrating their high quality and potential for various applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to produce and study stable, atomically-thin 2D crystals of various materials, expanding the scope of 2D material research.

Findings

2D crystals are stable under ambient conditions

High crystal quality of atomically-thin sheets

Macroscopic continuity of 2D crystals

Abstract

We report free-standing atomic crystals that are strictly 2D and can be viewed as individual atomic planes pulled out of bulk crystals or as unrolled single-wall nanotubes. By using micromechanical cleavage, we have prepared and studied a variety of 2D crystals, including single layers of boron nitride, graphite, several dichalcogenides and complex oxides. These atomically-thin sheets (essentially gigantic 2D molecules unprotected from the immediate environment) are stable under ambient conditions, exhibit high crystal quality and are continuous on a macroscopic scale.