On the water's edge: DIY 2D materials on a liquid-liquid interface
figure: This image depicts the formation of the second layer in a heterolayer coordination nanosheet. The cobalt ions pass through a pre-existing first layer (consisting of the iron coordination center and the pyridine ligand), which has formed at the liquid-liquid interface between water and dichloromethane. They then assemble into a coordinated layer by combining with the pyridine ligand. see again Credit: Hiroshi Nishihara of Tokyo University of Science The last few decades have witnessed a large amount of research in the field of two-dimensional (2D) materials. True to its name, this thin-film-like material consists of layers only a few atoms thick. Many chemical and physical properties of 2D materials can be adjusted, leading to promising applications in many fields, including optoelectronics, catalysis, renewable energy, and more. Coordination nanosheets are one of the most interesting types of 2D materials. “Coordinati