Supercomputers reveal strange, stress-induced transformations in world's thinnest materials
Wednesday, July 16, 2014 - 10:01
in Physics & Chemistry
Interested in an ultra-fast, unbreakable, and flexible smart phone that recharges in a matter of seconds? Monolayer materials may make it possible. These atom-thin sheets -- including the famed super material graphene -- feature exceptional and untapped mechanical and electronic properties. But to fully exploit these atomically tailored wonder materials, scientists must pry free the secrets of how and why they bend and break under stress. Supercomputer simulations have revealed unexpected transitions in graphene and other promising super materials under strain.