Graphene is both 3D and 2D

Graphene is both a three-dimensional and two-dimensional material, according to a new study from Queen Mary University in London.

It is important to understand that it is a 3D material to understand its mechanical properties and develop new devices based on graphene.

Often considered a "miracle material", graphene has the highest known thermal and electrical conductivity, it is stronger than steel, lightweight, flexible and transparent. Its uses are varied and it has recently been shown that it can even serve as a barrier against mosquito bites.

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

To their surprise, they discovered that graphene 2-D, which is a single flat layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure, has many mechanical properties identical to those of graphite 3-D, which is a form of natural carbon formed from a very low stack of many layers of graphene.

They show that graphene shares compressive strength similar to that of graphite and is much thicker than is generally believed.

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

Yiwei Sun, lead author of the Queen Mary University study in London, said: "Graphene owes its thickness to a set of chemical bonds that stand out above and below the 2-D plane of atoms of carbon. -Material D, although very thin.

"By applying classical 3D theory, used for about 400 years, to 2D materials such as graphene, known for 15 years, we show that similar arguments apply to other so-called 2D materials, such as Boron nitride and molybdenum disulphide In this sense, two-dimensional materials are actually all three-dimensional. "

Graphene is often called the first two-dimensional material in the world. It was discovered in 2004 by peeling off graphene flakes in loose graphite (used in pencil and lubricant mines) with the help of duct tape.

Considered as part of a new class of 2D materials, it is currently being modeled by scientists as a very shallow atom sheet, hence the 2D material name.