Clusterphene: A new two-dimensional structure from cluster self-assembly

Since the advent of graphene in 2004, two-dimensional (2D) materials had ignited the development of fascinating functional materials for almost 20 years. Currently, the main members of 2D materials family are graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs, MoS2, WS2, and others), MXenes (Ti3C2, Ta4C3, and others), Xenes (B, Si, P, Ge, and Sn), organic materials (COF, covalent organic frameworks), etc. [1]. The unique sheet-like morphology (single- or few-atomic-layer thickness) endow 2D materials with unconventional physicochemical properties for promising applications in catalysis, energy storage/conversion, electronics, biomedicine, sensors, etc. Nevertheless, the exploration and preparation of novel two-dimensional materials with desired characteristics through highly controlled strategy remains one of the major challenges in this field. In a recent work from Nature Chemistry published on 10 February 2022, Liu et al. [2] reported a new member, clusterphene, in the family of two-dimensional materials.