When we think about the properties of a material, we often think that they are

based solely on what the material is made of. Metal conducts electricity because
its atoms
are held together with metallic bonds - which leave electrons free to drift
through the material
when an electric field is applied. Concrete is strong because it contains cement
that rigidly locks
incompressible pieces of sand and gravel together. Vulcanised rubber is pliable,
but still durable,
because it is made of flexible polymer chains that are firmly linked together.

As our ability to create and study nanomaterials has progressed, fascinating and
unexpected new properties
are being discovered. This has opened up completely new avenues for future
technologies that rely on the size
of a material as well as its bulk properties. We are truly entering the age of
nanotechnology.

What are 2D materials?

Nanomaterials can be broadly classified by the total number of their nanoscopic
dimensions:

If all three dimensions of a material are nano-sized, it would be called a 0D

(zero-dimensional) material,
more commonly known as a nanoparticle.
If two dimensions of a material are nano-sized, with the other dimension much
larger
(much like a piece of string shrunk down to a tiny size), then this is a 1D
material or ‘nanotube/nanowire’.
If only one dimension is nano-sized, it would be a 2D material – resembling a
large,
but very thin sheet (like a piece of paper).
Finally, if a material does not have any dimensions that are small enough to be
considered nano-sized,
then it is not a nanomaterial. Instead, it should be referred to as a ‘bulk’
material, and it is this class
that we deal with in our everyday lives.

Examples of 2D materials
Graphene was the first ‘modern’ 2D material to be isolated in 2004 [1]. Since then,
there have been
literally hundreds of other examples [2], with an extensive range of properties.
Below are several that
are being actively researched.

Graphene and hexagonal boron nitride

Graphene is a covalently-bonded hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms just one atom

thick (about 0.14 nm).
It is a semimetal (its conduction and valence bands both touch). Graphene's unique
band structure means that
electrons move through it at extremely high speeds (about 1/300 the speed of
light), giving
it fascinating properties - such as unparalleled thermal conductivity.