INTRODUCTION TO TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS

The application areas of two-dimensional (2D) materials, their heterostructures and composites are rapidly expanding — thanks to their extraordinary mechanical, optical, electronic and thermal properties. The family of 2D materials, which are finding a use in applications, is rapidly growing, and now includes graphene, graphene oxide, hexagonal boron nitride and transition-metal dichalcogenide, as well as the recently obtained chemical derivatives, physically modified hybrids and allotropes. New applications also trigger the development of new and more efficient methods for the synthesis of 2D materials and the formulation of composites. In this paper, we focus on the relation between the structure of the 2D materials and their heterostructures on the one hand and their properties on the other, summarize recent improvements in the synthesis approaches and discuss the perspectives in applications. We highlight existing applications in electronics, optoelectronics, electrocatalysis and energy storage and discuss new potential areas such as functional coatings and biomedical materials and devices.