Living on the Edge: How a 2D Material Got Its Shape

While scientists have long known how to make nanoparticles of transition metal oxides, no one has found a controllable way to grow these 3D nanoparticles into nanosheets, which are thin 2D materials just a few atoms thick. Now, a team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has gained valuable insight into 3D transition metal oxide nanoparticles’ natural “edge” for 2D growth.