For Robin Smeyers, a passion for 2D materials began with a single thesis and quickly grew into a full-blown research journey. What started as a master’s project on graphene became a launchpad for academic discovery, leading him to a PhD focused on one of the most intriguing frontiers in condensed matter physics: straintronics. Robin’s work ranges from simulating balloon-like graphene structures to exploring the possibilities of room-temperature superconductors, laying the foundation for technologies that could one day transform our world.
Graphene and transition-metal dichalcogenides are the most common examples of layered materials, but there is a world of other possibilities that have not been fully exploited: for example, antimony and germanium nanolayers. The FLAG-ERA 2D-SbGe project explores layered materials “off the beaten track”.
Raul Arenal, ARAID Researcher and Group Leader at Graphene Flagship partner the University of Zaragoza, Spain, used electron microscopy to study the changes taking place during GO’s reduction. His two recent papers could help scientists to design new materials with carefully tailored properties.
Graphene Flagship researchers reported a significant step forward in growing monoisotopic hexagonal boron nitride at atmospheric pressure for the production of large and very high-quality crystals.
Engineering a mosaic-like graphene morphology, researchers found wrinkles in the structure that could open the gate to a new wave of microfluidics technologies.
