Molybdenene, a two-dimensional material made up solely of molybdenum atoms, has been successfully created by scientists. The material exhibits metallic characteristics and is composed of Dirac electrons, which are particles that behave like massless particles at low energies. The researchers used molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as a precursor and induced molybdenene growth under microwave irradiation in the presence of an electric field. They discovered that the material can form millimeter-long whiskers that consist of weakly bonded molybdenene sheets. Upon exfoliation, these sheets demonstrate metallic behavior with an electrical conductivity of around 940 S m-1, which is comparable to that of copper. Molybdenene’s properties can also be adjusted by hybridizing it with other two-dimensional materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) or MoS2. The researchers also demonstrated that molybdenene can be used for a variety of applications, including surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, electron imaging, and scanning probe microscopy cantilevers. Molybdenene is a promising new material with a wide range of potential applications. Its discovery could lead to the development of new and improved electronic devices.
