As this pellet was heated up by the laser, the metals were released from it into a surrounding H-radical-rich atmosphere, obtained by injecting hydrogen into the reaction chamber through a heated tungsten filament.

The method, detailed in two complementary research articles and presented this week, is based on the behavior of different metals when placed in a chemical reaction chamber where two different liquids flow together continuously.

The two separate and purified solids formed in the reaction chamber in 4 hours, versus the 30 hours typically needed for conventional separation methods.

They first encapsulated the twisted bilayer in graphene, essentially building a little reaction chamber around it, to look at the bilayer at atomic resolution as it was heated.

"In the scientific study, we've proven that our reaction chamber can eliminate 58 percent of methane from air. And, since submitting the study, we have improved our results in the laboratory so that the reaction chamber is now at 88 percent," says Matthew Stanley Johnson.