https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210427094825.htm

Since the discovery of graphene, which is made of carbon atoms, interest in two-dimensional materials has grown steadily in research and industry. Under extremely high pressures of up to 100 gigapascals, researchers from the University of Bayreuth, together with international partners, have now produced novel compounds composed of nitrogen and beryllium atoms. These are beryllium polynitrides, some of which conform to the monoclinic, others to the triclinic crystal system. The triclinic beryllium polynitrides exhibit one unusual characteristic when the pressure drops. They take on a crystal structure made up of layers. Each layer contains zigzag nitrogen chains connected by beryllium atoms. It can therefore be described as a planar structure consisting of BeN? pentagons and Be?N? hexagons. Thus, each layer represents a two-dimensional material, beryllonitrene.

Qualitatively, beryllonitrene is a new 2D material. Unlike graphene, the two-dimensional crystal structure of beryllonitrene results in a slightly distorted electronic lattice. Because of its resulting electronic properties, beryllonitrene would be excellently suited for applications in quantum technology if it could one day be produced on an industrial scale. In this still young field of research and development, the aim is to use the quantum mechanical properties and structures of matter for technical innovations -- for example, for the construction of high-performance computers or for novel encryption techniques with the goal of secure communication.