2-D materials clean up their act

However, being this thin comes at a price: the functional

properties we depend on will change if the material becomes contaminated.
Luckily, many 2-D  exhibit the 'self-cleaning phenomenon', meaning when different 2-D materials are pressed together, stray molecules from the air and the lab are pushed out leaving large areas clear of impurities.
Since graphene's isolation in 2004 a whole host of other 2-D materials have been discovered each with a range of different properties.
When graphene and other 2-D materials are combined, the potential of these new materials comes alive.
Layering stacks of 2-D materials in a precisely chosen sequence can produce  called heterostructures that can be fine-tuned to achieve a specific purpose (from LEDs, to water purification, to ).
These flat regions have yielded some of the most fascinating physics of our time. Now, the assumption that these areas are completely clean is under scrutiny.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-08-d-materials.html#jCp