Study produces most accurate 3D imaging of ‘2D materials’

A UCLA-led research team has produced in unprecedented detail experimental 3D maps of the atoms in a so-called 2D material—matter that isn’t truly two dimensional but is nearly “flat” because it’s arranged in extremely thin layers, no more than a few atoms thick. Although 2D-materials–based technologies have not yet been widely used in commercial applications, the materials have been the subject of considerable research interest. In the future, they could be the basis for semiconductors in ever smaller electronics, quantum computer components, more efficient batteries, or filters capable of extracting freshwater from saltwater. The research was conducted by Prof. Jianwei Miao, deputy director of the STROBE National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. Courtesy of the University of California, Los Angeles.