Graphene is the material of the future, which is extremely light, durable and well conductive heat and electricity, but terribly expensive and problematic in production.

In the meantime, we can carry out a revolution in many fields of science and life with the help of a completely new 2D material. It is about Hematen, which comes from hematite, a naturally occurring mineral that forms part of iron ores. Brazilian scientists have developed a method for its production.

It involves melting hematite and carrying out a process called exophology. During this process, a thin layer of material with a thickness of three atoms (iron and oxygen) can be obtained. Hematene exhibits photocatalytic properties, so it can be used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen or to create magnetic elements in spintronics.

Interestingly, the materials of the future can also be obtained from other minerals in a similar machining process. Researchers hope that with their help we can significantly accelerate technological progress, without waiting for the popularization of graphene.

Source: GeekWeek.pl/Phys.org
Photo: Pxhere