. 24/7 Space News .
CARBON WORLDS
Graphene is 3D as well as 2D
by Staff Writers
London, UK (SPX) Sep 24, 2019

The Queen Mary research shows that graphene is 3D as well as 2D.

Graphene is actually a 3D material as well as a 2D material, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London.

Realising that it is a 3D material is important for understanding its mechanical properties and for developing novel graphene-based devices.

Often hailed as a 'wonder material', graphene has the highest known thermal and electrical conductivity, is stronger than steel, light, flexible and transparent. Its uses are wide-ranging and recently it has been shown it could even act as a barrier against mosquito bites.

In this study, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the researchers asked two fundamental questions: to what extent is graphene graphite, and what is the true thickness of graphene?

To their surprise, they found that 2D graphene, which is a flat single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure, has many of the same mechanical properties as 3D graphite, which is a naturally occurring form of carbon made up from a very weak stack of many layers of graphene.

They show that graphene shares a similar resistance to compression as graphite and that it is significantly thicker than is widely believed.

If the thickness of a block of graphite 100 layers thick is measured, the thickness of a single graphene layer is simply the thickness of the graphene block divided by 100. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider the thickness of graphene as 0.34 nm.

Dr Yiwei Sun, lead author of the study from Queen Mary University of London, said: "Graphene owes its thickness to an array of chemical bonds sticking out above and below the 2D plane of carbon atoms. Hence graphene is really a 3D material, albeit with a very small thickness.

"By applying conventional 3D theory, which has been used for around 400 years, to 2D materials such as graphene, which have been known for 15 years, we show that similar arguments apply to other so-called 2D materials, such as boron nitride and molybdenum disulphide. In that sense, 2D materials are actually all 3D."

Graphene is often called the world's first two-dimensional material. It was discovered in 2004 by peeling off graphene flakes from bulk graphite (used in pencil leads and lubricants) using sticky tape.

It is regarded as part of a new class of 2D materials and it is currently modelled by scientists as a sheet of atoms with very little depth, hence the name 2D material.

Research Report: '3D strain in 2D materials: to what extent is monolayer graphene graphite?'


Related Links
Queen Mary University of London
Carbon Worlds - where graphite, diamond, amorphous, fullerenes meet


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


CARBON WORLDS
Scientists predict new forms of superhard carbon
Buffalo NY (SPX) Sep 12, 2019
Superhard materials can slice, drill and polish other objects. They also hold potential for creating scratch-resistant coatings that could help keep expensive equipment safe from damage. Now, science is opening the door to the development of new materials with these seductive qualities. Researchers have used computational techniques to identify 43 previously unknown forms of carbon that are thought to be stable and superhard - including several predicted to be slightly harder than or nearly ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

CARBON WORLDS
France pledges billions in fight to halt start-up drain

Russia mulls equipping cutting-edge cosmonaut emergency survival kit with firearm

Innovative model created for NASA to predict vitamin levels in spaceflight food

A new journey into Earth for space exploration

CARBON WORLDS
China to launch Third Long March 5 by year end

Roscosmos to Build Cheap Soyuz-2M Rocket for Commercial Satellites Launch Service

Engine Section for NASA's SLS Rocket Moved for Final Integration

Fire forces Japan to cancel rocket launch to ISS

CARBON WORLDS
Mars 2020 Spacecraft Comes Full Circle

NASA Research Gives New Insight into How Much Atmosphere Mars Lost

'Martian CSI' Sheds Light on How Asteroid Impacts Generated Running Water Under Red Planet

NASA engineers attach Mars Helicopter to Mars 2020 rover

CARBON WORLDS
China's KZ-1A rocket launches two satellites

China's newly launched communication satellite suffers abnormality

China launches first private rocket capable of carrying satellites

Chinese scientists say goodbye to Tiangong-2

CARBON WORLDS
Winning bootcamp ideas at Phi-week

Private Chinese firms tapping international space market

Iridium and Thales Expand Partnership to Deliver Aircraft Connectivity Services

ESA re-routes satellite to avoid SpaceX collision risk

CARBON WORLDS
Mining industry seeks to polish tarnished reputation

Spider silk, wood combination replicates material advantages of plastic

Bolivia, with huge untapped reserves, gears up for soaring lithium demand

Shaken but not stirred: Konnect satellite completes vibration tests

CARBON WORLDS
Research redefines lower limit for planet size habitability

First water detected on potentially 'habitable' planet

Water detected on an exoplanet located in its star's habitable zone

How to Spin a Disk Around Young Protostars

CARBON WORLDS
Storms on Jupiter are disturbing the planet's colorful belts

ALMA shows what's inside Jupiter's storms

Young Jupiter was smacked head-on by massive newborn planet

Mission to Jupiter's icy moon confirmed









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.