Credit: Hirokazu Nitta from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology The gallium selenide monolayer has been recently discovered to have an alternative crystal structure and has diverse potential applications in electronics. Understanding its properties is crucial to understand its functions. Now, scientists from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the University of Tokyo have explored its structural stability, electronic states, and transformation of crystal phases. Solid materials comprise a symmetric arrangement of atoms that confer properties like conductivity, strength, and durability. Changes in size can change this arrangement, thereby changing the overall properties of the material. For instance, the electrical, chemical, optical and mechanical properties of certain materials can change as we move towards the "nano" scale. Science now lets us study the differences in properties across various dimensions right from monolayer (atomic) level.