Researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield have developed a set of 2D designer materials that can be used to build flexible, transparent and more efficient electronic devices.

The research shows that graphene and related 2D materials could be used to create light emitting devices for the next generation of mobile phones, tablets and televisions to make them thin, durable, flexible and semi-transparent.

The work is based on a breakthrough lead by Nobel Laureate Sir Kostya Novoselov and his team, who successfully created LEDs engineered on an atomic level.

The LED device was built by combining different 2D crystals and emits light from across its whole surface; the device is 10-40 atoms thick.

“By preparing the heterostructures on elastic and transparent substrates, we show that they can provide the basis for flexible and semi-transparent electronics,” says Novoselov . “The range of functionalities for the demonstrated heterostructures is expected to grow further on increasing the number of available 2D crystals and improving their electronic quality.”

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