One scientist’s trash is another’s treasure: A laboratory’s “irritating” byproduct now supplies 2-D materials research

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have discovered that an unwanted byproduct of their experiments is a high-quality substance sought after by scientists researching layered materials. The scientists’ focus is magnesium diboride. But they also produce hexagonal boron nitride, a highly sought-after and difficult-to-obtain insulating material for scientists researching graphene, the 2D layered semimetal that was first discovered in 2010.