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Researchers have made stable, ultrathin layers of five elemental metals by squeezing molten metal between sheets of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). In a 2025 Nature study, the method produced metal samples only about 5.8 to 9.2 ångströms thick. Measurements highlighted unusual electrical and vibrational behavior in bismuth, though the work demonstrates laboratory materials—not finished devices.
Why making a metal sheet this thin is difficult
Many familiar two-dimensional materials, such as graphite, consist of layers that are relatively weakly bound to one another. That makes it possible to separate thin sheets. Elemental metals are harder to isolate as stable, atomically thin layers because their atoms bond strongly in multiple directions. A free-standing sheet can also be difficult to keep intact.
The study by Jiaojiao Zhao and co-authors addresses both challenges by forming the metal inside a confining structure. Instead of peeling a metal sheet away from a bulk crystal, the researchers squeeze molten metal between MoS2-coated sapphire components. The MoS2 layers then enclose the resulting ultrathin metal.
How the van der Waals squeezing method works
The process, which the authors call van der Waals (vdW) squeezing, uses the surfaces of MoS2 monolayers to confine the metal. Once squeezed, the metal is encapsulated between two MoS2 monolayers. The authors say the interfaces are non-bonded, allowing measurements of the metal’s intrinsic properties while the encapsulation stabilizes the thin layer.
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Pressure was an important experimental variable for bismuth. The paper’s extended data reports that samples made at 50 and 80 MPa were thick; increasing pressure raised the probability of obtaining monolayers. At 140 MPa, the researchers obtained bismuth monolayers larger than 100 μm. These are conditions and outcomes from that experiment, not general production specifications.
Which metals were made, and how thin were they?
The study reports samples of five metals. The values below are specimen thicknesses reported by Chemistry World in 2025; they describe the samples in this work, not a single fixed thickness for each element.
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An ångström is one ten-billionth of a metre (10−10 m). The primary paper describes monolayer bismuth as about 0.64 nm thick, or about 6.4 Å. Chemistry World characterizes its 6.3 Å bismuth sample as two atoms deep.
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The paper’s headline transport and Raman results focus on monolayer bismuth, rather than establishing the same behavior for every metal in the table. The authors report a new phonon mode—a vibrational mode of the material—along with enhanced electrical conductivity, a notable field effect and large nonlinear Hall conductivity.
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The measured Hall mobility also depended on temperature. In the paper’s extended data, the average mobility for measured monolayer-bismuth devices was about 300 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 1.5 K and about 500 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 42 mK. These are cryogenic measurements on particular devices, not room-temperature performance figures or specifications for a product.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the result does—and does not—show
The work establishes a fabrication route for ångström-scale samples of several elemental metals and reports electrical and vibrational properties for monolayer bismuth. It points to possible future applications in quantum, electronic and photonic devices, but the paper presents those as possibilities. It does not demonstrate a commercial device or establish that the measured effects are ready for practical use.
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Chemistry World reported that the bismuth sample remained stable for a year while researchers tested it. That longevity claim is attributed to the secondary report; it should not be generalized to every metal or sample made by the method.
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Sources
- Zhao et al., “Realization of 2D metals at the ångström thickness limit,” Nature 639, 354–359 (published 12 March 2025).
- Nature news, “Metals squeezed to thickness of just two atoms.”
- Jamie Durrani, Chemistry World, “Metal layers just a few angstroms thick display unusual electronic properties” (19 March 2025).
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