In the past decade, since the discovery of graphene by Geim and Novoselov, a tremendous research effort has been devoted to graphene and other two-dimensional materials due to its fascinating properties. The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2010 was awarded to them “for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene”.  Moreover, in recent years, research on graphene has further aroused large interest in other two-dimensional materials. Among these novel materials beyond graphene, its direct cousins, silicene and germanene (the counterparts of silicon and germanium) have earned special focus. Note that the low-energy theory of these materials is described by Dirac fermions as in graphene, and thus the relatively strong spin-orbit interactions are large enough to make materials such as silicene and germanene to be non-trivial topological insulators. Furthermore, studies on monolayer transition-metal di-chalcogenides and layered double transition-metal carbides (MXenes) are also gaining attention.  The challenges in exploring the physical properties of these 2D materials will be addressed in this special issue. Finally, a variety of potential applications based on these 2D materials will also be reviewed.

The scope of this focus issue in Frontiers of Physics would cover all of the aspects from experimental synthesis, experimental characterizations (ARPES, STM, optical absorption etc.), electronic properties, optical properties, and also topological properties, etc. This special issue will present the major recent progress in this field from the best experimental and theoretical teams all over the world. We do hope that the issue will form a broad overview of the current state of this cuttingedge field.

Specific materials of interest covered in this issue include

·     ●  Graphene

·     ●  Silicene

·     ●  Germanene

·     ●  Transition metal di-chalcogenides, in particular molybdenum disulphide,

·     ●  Boron nitride

·     ●  Double transition-metal carbides and/or nitrides (MXenes)

·     ●  Composite materials

There is no strict length limit for each article, and for each review at least 15 pages length is highly expected. 

The sample article (TEX template)can be downloaded viahttp://journal.hep.com.cn/fop/EN/column/column15258.shtmland the new manuscript can be submitted online throughhttp://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fop.All PDFs of the special issue will be openaccessed, and a copy of the volume will be mailed to all participants.

Sincerely,

Daria Andreeva, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea, daria.baeumler@gmail.com, daria@unist.ac.kr

Wencai Ren, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Instituteof Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, wcren@imr.ac.cn

Guangcun Shan, Beihang University, gcshan@buaa.edu.cn

Kostya Novoselov, University of Manchester, UK, Konstantin.Novoselov@manchester.ac.uk