Two-dimensional nanomembranes: can they outperform lower dimensional nanocrystals?

Inorganic nanomembranes, analogues to graphene, are expected to impact a wide range of device concepts including thin-film or flexible platforms. Size-dependent properties and high surface area-two key characteristics of zero- (0D) and one-dimensional (1D) nanocrystals-are still present in most nanomembranes, rendering their use more probable in practical applications. These advantages make nanomembranes strong contenders for outpacing 0D and 1D nanocrystals, which are often difficult to integrate into commercial device technologies. This Perspective highlights important progress made by Wang et al. (doi: 10.1021/nn2050906) in large-scale fabrication of free-standing nanomembranes by using a solution-based technique, as reported in this issue of ACS Nano. The simplicity of this new approach and the elimination of typical delamination processes used in top-down nanomembrane fabrications are among the strengths of this technique. Areas for improvement along with an overview of other related work are also discussed.