Definition
Plain language
A flat layered crystal often called the perfect insulating partner for graphene.
As stated in the literature
hBN, a 2D insulating crystal with a structure analogous to graphene, used as a substrate or spacer in van der Waals heterostructures.
Also called: hBN
Why it matters: It's the go-to insulator for building stacked 2D-material devices, which is where much new condensed-matter physics is currently happening.
For example, sandwiching a graphene sheet between two layers of hexagonal boron nitride keeps its electronic properties clean by shielding it from charge noise.
Heard on the show
“Hexagonal boron nitride, which physicists call hBN.”Episode 072 — A Robot Made Graphene Without Help, And Caught Itself Hallucinating