Atom-thick Rice Owl (IMAGE) Rice University Caption An atom-thick Rice Owl (scale bar equals 100 micrometers) created in 2013 demonstrated an ability to make fine patterns in a hybrid graphene/hexagonal boron nitride material. Rice researchers led by materials scientists Jun Lou and Pulickel Ajayan will collaborate with colleagues at Penn State and industry to develop two-dimensional, multifunctional coatings in a National Science Foundation-backed initiative. Credit Zheng Liu/Rice University Usage Restrictions For news reporting purposes only. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.