Introducing 2D Materials—a new multidisciplinary journal devoted to all aspects of graphene and related two-dimensional materials

Initiated by the 2010 Nobel Prize-recognized isolation of graphene in 2004, and driven by the potential for significant and wide-ranging novel applications, research on two-dimensional materials has expanded like no other recent field to develop a unique multidisciplinary character that now extends across physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, engineering and industry. This new class of 2D crystals includes (to name just a few) graphene derivatives such as graphane and fluorographene; atomically thin crystals such as silicene and germanene, and a host of atomically thin films of transition metal dichalcogenides and trichalcogenides. Despite this ongoing activity, what does not yet exist, until now, is a high quality journal dedicated solely to the field of two-dimensional materials, and aimed at serving its entire research community.

On behalf of the Editorial Board and IOP Publishing, I am pleased to announce the opening of 2D Materials, a new multidisciplinary journal that has been launched to meet and recognise this need. Resulting from close collaboration and consultation with the community, the scope and characteristics of 2D Materials have been designed to ensure that it serves the thousands of researchers across academia and industry working at the cutting edge of these materials and their applications. In addition to research articles reporting urgent new developments that significantly advance the field, 2D Materials will also publish specifically commissioned reviews that provide a snapshot survey of progress on a particular topic, and Perspectives aimed at highlighting the impact and wider implications of new research reported in the journal.

Underpinned by a strict peer-review policy to ensure editorial standards of the highest quality, 2D Materials will cover the fundamental science, technology and engineering applications of graphene and all other related 2D crystals. In particular, the journal scope includes:

• experimental and theoretical studies of the physical properties of all two-dimensional crystals;
• all applications, ranging from mechanical and electrical engineering to pharmacology and medicine;
• the development of chemical processing and manufacturing technologies for large scale production of two-dimensional materials;
• novel combinations of two-dimensional-material heterostructures with conventional bulk metals, superconductors or semiconductors;
• the discovery and synthesis of new atomically thin crystals that have yet to be reported.

Guided by my colleagues on an Editorial Board comprising leading experts from across the field, our aim is for 2D Materials to become the journal of choice for researchers and innovators working in all of these areas.

2D Materials understands the particular urgency of new research in this field and a priority for the journal is to provide authors with a very fast but strict peer-review process. To achieve this, every submission is personally overseen by a member of the Editorial Board who is responsible for referee selection and the final editorial decision in line with the journal's select publication criteria.

In addition to very fast publication, we recognise that outreach, and achieving wider dissemination of published research, is also increasingly important for authors. To meet this demand, 2D Materials allows all authors to accompany their article with a video abstract aimed at maximizing the reach and visibility of their work to the journal's multidisciplinary audience, and providing a unique opportunity to showcase the significance of their research to the community. To ensure that our authors can comply with any specific institutional or funding body requirements for the publication of their work, 2D Materials also offers an open access option to give authors the choice on how their article can be accessed and reused by readers.

I am confident that these key journal characteristics, combined with IOP Publishing's long-standing commitment and reputation as a leading society publisher, will ensure that 2D Materials quickly becomes an essential title for this unique, multidisciplinary field. You can also hear a little more about the aims and aspirations of the journal from the video included here featuring my colleagues on the Editorial Board, Tony Heinz and Luigi Colombo (see figure 1).

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Finally, as part of the initial launch phase, all content in the journal will be free to read for individual users, universities and academic research institutes throughout 2014. I hope that you enjoy reading our first papers and that you will consider 2D Materials as a rapid publication outlet for your own future research.