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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Assessing Two-dimensional Crystallization Trials of Small Membrane Proteins for Structural Biology Studies by Electron Crystallography
Published on: October 29, 2010
Two-dimensional atomic crystals
K S Novoselov1, D Jiang, F Schedin
1Centre for Mesoscience and Nanotechnology and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
We report free-standing atomic crystals that are strictly 2D and can be viewed as individual atomic planes pulled out of bulk crystals or as unrolled single-wall nanotubes. By using micromechanical cleavage, we have prepared and studied a variety of 2D crystals including single layers of boron nitride, graphite, several dichalcogenides, and complex oxides. These atomically thin sheets (essentially gigantic 2D molecules unprotected from the immediate environment) are stable under ambient conditions, exhibit high crystal quality, and are continuous on a macroscopic scale.
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