Graphene provided the excitement and impact to explore isolated 2D atomic layers that go beyond graphene and have a rich variety of composition, electronic structures and properties. There is opportunity to engineer the band gaps in these 2D atomic layers to span the entire range of materials from metals to semiconductors to insulators. We are pursuing strategies to synthesize, characterize and find applications for several of the 2D materials that complement graphene in properties. Hexagonal boron nitride, boron-carbon-nitrogen systems, metal di chalcogenides etc. fall into this category. Atomic layers of these materials and the possibility of creating unique hybrids of these materials are being explored with several applications in mind.