The most famous 2D material is undoubtedly graphene, a slimmed-down form of carbon that's extremely strong, lightweight, and electrically and thermally conductive. But it's far from alone in that dimension – recently, scientists have also created 2D sheets of black phosphorus, gallium, molybdenum disulfide and chromium triiodide, all boasting a wide range of unusual properties.

The newest member of the family, hematene, comes from hematite, a naturally-occurring mineral that provides our main industrial source of iron. By subjecting the ore to a process called liquid-phase exfoliation, the team created sheets just three iron and oxygen atoms thick.