TimmyH
World's Strongest Material
July 18th 2008 06:03
Graphene has taken the title of World's Strongest Material.
Since it was first isolated as a compound in 2005, scientists have been hoping that Graphene would become a widely used substance. Professors at Columbia Univeristy have
proved that Graphene is the strongest material ever tested. This revelation, in conjunction with Graphene's incredible conductive powers means that it could be used in the microprocessors of the future.
Mechanical engineering professors, Jeffrey Kysar and James Hone, tested Graphene's strength at the atomic level by using a conventional method which monitors the force required to break the material. All of this is done on a tiny Atomic level. But Hone prefers to compare the test to stretching a piece of Glad Wrap over the top of a cup and then measuring the force required to push a pencil through the layer. Graphene is so strong that Hone believes if strung over a cup, it could hold the weight of a car balancing atop that pencil.
But that result only stands when using a tiny sample of pure Graphene. As Kysar explains, "any material will be full of cracks and flaws...Only a tiny sample can be perfect and superstrong."
"We knew graphene was the strongest material; this work confirms it," says Konstantin Novoselov, a fellow at the University of Manchester, who was the first to isolate two-dimensional sheets of the material.
The computing and semmiconductor industries are expected to benefit the most from this new research, and from the use of Graphene in general. The material will almost certainly enable computers to conduct electricity better, reduce heat and improve processing speed.
Current microprocessors are limited because of problems associated with heat conduction.
Caltech materials scientist Julia Greer explains, "The main liability concerning the microprocessing industry is strain...the heat is too much for materials to take." The constant stresses of heat in manufacturing and use mean that microchips often fail because they can't stand up to that heat. But Graphene can.
Graphene is the primary building block of many Carbon materials that are already in use including nanotubes and buckyballs. "In theory, a nanotube is rolled-up graphene, so it should have the same strength," says Hone. But the reality is that nanotubes have tiny flaws, an atom missing here or there. "When you pull on a nanotube," says Hone, it breaks at any site where there's a defect.
Advanced radar, mobile phones and other mechanically operated electrical switches could also benefit from the mechanical strength of Graphene because of its durability.
Previous research has had limited results regarding the mechanical properties of nanomaterials. But "mechanical properties control more than they might appear to," says Greer. Researcehrs will now have a new moutain to climb when testing strength and durability.
Expect Graphene to be a big hit.
Graphene Molecule
Since it was first isolated as a compound in 2005, scientists have been hoping that Graphene would become a widely used substance. Professors at Columbia Univeristy have
proved that Graphene is the strongest material ever tested. This revelation, in conjunction with Graphene's incredible conductive powers means that it could be used in the microprocessors of the future.
Mechanical engineering professors, Jeffrey Kysar and James Hone, tested Graphene's strength at the atomic level by using a conventional method which monitors the force required to break the material. All of this is done on a tiny Atomic level. But Hone prefers to compare the test to stretching a piece of Glad Wrap over the top of a cup and then measuring the force required to push a pencil through the layer. Graphene is so strong that Hone believes if strung over a cup, it could hold the weight of a car balancing atop that pencil.
But that result only stands when using a tiny sample of pure Graphene. As Kysar explains, "any material will be full of cracks and flaws...Only a tiny sample can be perfect and superstrong."
"We knew graphene was the strongest material; this work confirms it," says Konstantin Novoselov, a fellow at the University of Manchester, who was the first to isolate two-dimensional sheets of the material.
The computing and semmiconductor industries are expected to benefit the most from this new research, and from the use of Graphene in general. The material will almost certainly enable computers to conduct electricity better, reduce heat and improve processing speed.
Current microprocessors are limited because of problems associated with heat conduction.
Caltech materials scientist Julia Greer explains, "The main liability concerning the microprocessing industry is strain...the heat is too much for materials to take." The constant stresses of heat in manufacturing and use mean that microchips often fail because they can't stand up to that heat. But Graphene can.
Graphene is the primary building block of many Carbon materials that are already in use including nanotubes and buckyballs. "In theory, a nanotube is rolled-up graphene, so it should have the same strength," says Hone. But the reality is that nanotubes have tiny flaws, an atom missing here or there. "When you pull on a nanotube," says Hone, it breaks at any site where there's a defect.
Advanced radar, mobile phones and other mechanically operated electrical switches could also benefit from the mechanical strength of Graphene because of its durability.
Previous research has had limited results regarding the mechanical properties of nanomaterials. But "mechanical properties control more than they might appear to," says Greer. Researcehrs will now have a new moutain to climb when testing strength and durability.
Expect Graphene to be a big hit.
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