The properties and stability trends in atomically thin metallenes
Kameyab Raza Abidi
Layered materials possess strong in-plane covalent bonds and weak out-of-plane van der Waals (vdW) interactions, which ease the creation of their 2D forms [1]. However, metals, which exhibit isotropic bonding, lack the directional bonding anisotropy needed for facile 2D structuring [2]. Consequently, experimentalists have explored alternative fabrication methods to achieve stable, atomically thin 2D metals or metallenes. The primary methods for creating stable 2D metals include (1) substrate support, (2) confining metals (Fe, Cr, Sn, Zr) within graphene pores, (3) removing chalcogen atoms from MoS2 and MoSe2 to obtain Mo, (4) etching Ti and C to acquire Au from Ti3AuC2, (5) inserting metals between 2D vdW material layers, and (6) fabricating Au membranes by in situ dealloying of Au–Ag using electron beam irradiation [3-5]. The method used to stabilize 2D metals may influence their properties, and the intrinsic properties of two-dimensional metals are still largely unclear due to variations in their stabilization techniques. Thus, to have a fundamental understanding of the intrinsic properties of 2D metals, atomistic simulations are a powerful tool. Our research group has employed DFT simulations to investigate the properties of 45 elemental 2D metals across the periodic table [6]. In this seminar, I will discuss the electronic and structural features of these 2D metals and share one of the latest findings on their dynamic stability, noting that slight in-plane tension enhances their stabilization [6].
[1] Novoselov, K. S. et al. Science 306, 666–669 (2004).
[2] Huy Q Ta et al. Advanced Science 8.20, 2100619 (2021).
[3] Reis, F. et al. Science 357, 287–290 (2017).
[4] Ruijie Yang et al. Nature Reviews Chemistry 8, 410–432 (2024).
[5] Zhao, J. et al. Nature 639, 354–359 (2025).
[6] Phys. Rev. B 97.3, 035411 (2018), Phys. Rev. Materials 6, 124004 (2022), Electron. Struct. 7 015004 (2025), Nanoscale 16, 19649-19655 (2024), 2D Mater. 12 025016 (2025)
