This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features Guangyu Zhang. Along with his colleagues at the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhang has bagged the <a href="https://physicsworld.com/a/pioneers-of-2d-metals-win-the-physics-world-2025-breakthrough-of-the-year/">2025 Physics World Breakthrough of the Year </a>award for creating the first 2D metals.
In a wide-ranging conversation, we chat about the motivation behind the team&#8217;s research; the challenges in making 2D metals and how these were overcome; and how 2D metals could be used to boost our understanding of condensed matter physics and create new technologies.
I am also joined by my Physics World colleague Matin Durrani to talk about some of the exciting physics that we will be showcasing in 2025.
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Physics World&#8216;s coverage of the Breakthrough of the Year is supported by <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0034-4885">Reports on Progress in Physics</a>, which offers unparalleled visibility for your ground-breaking research.

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