Synthetic 2D Polymers: A Critical Perspective and a Look into the Future

Abstract

This feature article provides both a critical perspective as to where synthetic 2D polymers currently stand and a rather substantial view into how the future of this exciting field of polymer chemistry might look. It starts out by addressing strategic considerations meant to familiarize the reader with what to expect when entering the field. To better understand these considerations, the very nature of a 2D polymer is addressed in comparison to other organic 2D materials. Thereafter, the article moves quite intensely and critically into synthetic and mechanistic issues of 2D polymers before concentrating on the important structural analytics that one has to go through when unequivocally establishing these novel sheet-like polymeric objects. After a short excursion into the matter of exfoliation, the feature article then culminates in a section attempting to forecast the future. Key differences between 1D and 2D polymers are highlighted, and those considered by the authors to be the most attractive and burning research goals are further discussed. It is hoped that the reader will find this speculative section inspiring enough such that ideas that will help in advancing 2D polymers even faster are generated.

Keywords: air/water interfaces; exfoliation; nanosheets; organic 2D materials; single crystals; structural analyses.