WHAT MATERIAL IS 5% AS DENSE AS STEEL, BUT 10 TIMES AS STRONG?
Author: SZTC
2024-10-11
A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has used a multi-material 3D printer to study one of the strongest lightweight materials. By compressing and melting graphene sheets, they created a material that is 5% as dense as steel and 10 times as strong as steel.
By compressing the graphene sheets with heat and pressure, the researchers ended up with a strong and stable structure that looked a bit like coral. Soon, the scientists discovered that it was this unusual, coral-like shape that made the compressed graphene so strong, not the properties of the material itself. Therefore, by replicating this 3D form in other cheaper materials such as plastic, scientists can achieve graphene-like strength at a lower cost.
When the graphene structure was compressed to its limit, the researchers found that they had an incredibly strong material that was 5% as dense as steel but 10 times as strong. By analyzing the geometric arrangement of the compressed graphene sheets, the researchers were able to partially reproduce this strongest material with a 3D printer.
With such excellent properties, will graphene replace steel?
The popularity of graphene is rising
Since Dr. Constantine separated graphene from graphite with tape in 2004, the topic of graphene has been heating up.
In recent years, the overwhelming coverage of various media has finally pushed graphene to the forefront of the topic - medical, real estate, automobile, computer, biology and other industries are all related to it. For a time, graphene almost became synonymous with cutting-edge technology. It seems that if it is not mentioned in external publicity, it is not considered a high-tech industry. Why is graphene so popular? Will it really become the fourth largest material for mankind after "coal, steel, and silicon"? Let the development of reality give us the answer.
The first material composed of a single layer of atoms
The carbon atoms are connected to each other in a hexagonal grid. The graphite used in pencils is equivalent to countless layers of graphene stacked together, and carbon nanotubes are graphene rolled into a tube.
Picture
Due to the characteristics of the chemical bonds between carbon atoms, graphene is very tenacious: it can be bent to a large angle without breaking, and can withstand high pressure. Because there is only one layer of atoms, the movement of electrons is limited to one plane, which brings it new electrical properties. Graphene is transparent under visible light, but not breathable. These characteristics make it suitable as a protective layer and raw material for transparent electronic products.
The emergence of graphene is no less than a small energy revolution
Graphene's special physical structure brings it excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, so it is also the material with the lowest resistivity in the world. Therefore, the energy density of batteries made of graphene will be as high as 600Wh/kg, while the most advanced lithium battery is only 180Wh/kg.
Picture
For example, a graphene battery can be charged for 5 minutes and talk for 24 hours.
In addition, the weight of graphene batteries is one-eighth of that of traditional lithium batteries and their lifespan is twice as long. Think about the development bottlenecks of the current mobile phone, electric vehicle and other industries...
In the most anticipated field in the future - the field of bioengineering, graphene may be a superstar for humans.
Boise State University in the United States published an article titled "Graphene Foam Provides a Three-Dimensional Platform for Myotube Growth", which studied the application of graphene foam in muscle tissue. The results show that graphene foam is suitable as a scaffold material for growing functional muscle tissue. Graphene itself is a thin layer of carbon, so it is considered a two-dimensional planar material, but graphene foam is a 3D graphene made from graphene.
Ultimately, the researchers used the unique properties of graphene and graphene foam in human organ regeneration. Past studies have confirmed that bone and cartilage can be grown on graphene foam, but this is only the first step in the compatibility of graphene foam with muscle growth.
Estrada, an assistant professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University, said: "We hope to use these results to investigate the basic chemical changes of life and advance to clinical applications." In the future, through the new material of graphene foam, it may become a switch to control muscles, similar to the nerves that control muscles, and it may not be a fantasy to bring benefits to the disabled.
Image
Light is the most mysterious thing, and no one will not bow down to a new way to produce light.
MIT researchers have discovered a process similar to the sonic boom that occurs when an airplane exceeds the speed of sound: Electric charges flowing through graphene can, under certain circumstances, exceed the slowed speed of light, creating a "burst" of light, an intense, focused beam of light.
This new way of converting electrical energy into visible radiation is highly controllable, fast and efficient. The researchers say it could lead to a variety of new applications.
"Graphene can capture light through what we call surface plasmons," the researchers said. Plasmons are virtual particles that represent the oscillations of surface electrons. These plasmons travel through graphene hundreds of times slower than the speed of light in free space." This property also opens up the possibility of graphene having the opposite effect: forming light instead of capturing it.
Many scientific studies have shown us the amazing features of graphene, but there is a catch.
These wonderful properties require very high sample quality. To obtain graphene samples with the best electrical and mechanical properties, a time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive method is required: mechanical exfoliation - first sticking tape to graphite and then manually peeling the graphene off.
Some experts believe that the current graphene craze is similar to the investment impulse in shipbuilding and photovoltaics in the past, reflecting the deep-rooted speculation of enterprises and governments. A graphene enterprise manager even said that this is certainly due to the blindness of entrepreneurs, but more of it is the GDP impulse of local governments, and the risk of "bubble" behind it should not be underestimated.
By compressing the graphene sheets with heat and pressure, the researchers ended up with a strong and stable structure that looked a bit like coral. Soon, the scientists discovered that it was this unusual, coral-like shape that made the compressed graphene so strong, not the properties of the material itself. Therefore, by replicating this 3D form in other cheaper materials such as plastic, scientists can achieve graphene-like strength at a lower cost.
When the graphene structure was compressed to its limit, the researchers found that they had an incredibly strong material that was 5% as dense as steel but 10 times as strong. By analyzing the geometric arrangement of the compressed graphene sheets, the researchers were able to partially reproduce this strongest material with a 3D printer.
With such excellent properties, will graphene replace steel?
The popularity of graphene is rising
Since Dr. Constantine separated graphene from graphite with tape in 2004, the topic of graphene has been heating up.
In recent years, the overwhelming coverage of various media has finally pushed graphene to the forefront of the topic - medical, real estate, automobile, computer, biology and other industries are all related to it. For a time, graphene almost became synonymous with cutting-edge technology. It seems that if it is not mentioned in external publicity, it is not considered a high-tech industry. Why is graphene so popular? Will it really become the fourth largest material for mankind after "coal, steel, and silicon"? Let the development of reality give us the answer.
The first material composed of a single layer of atoms
The carbon atoms are connected to each other in a hexagonal grid. The graphite used in pencils is equivalent to countless layers of graphene stacked together, and carbon nanotubes are graphene rolled into a tube.
Picture
Due to the characteristics of the chemical bonds between carbon atoms, graphene is very tenacious: it can be bent to a large angle without breaking, and can withstand high pressure. Because there is only one layer of atoms, the movement of electrons is limited to one plane, which brings it new electrical properties. Graphene is transparent under visible light, but not breathable. These characteristics make it suitable as a protective layer and raw material for transparent electronic products.
The emergence of graphene is no less than a small energy revolution
Graphene's special physical structure brings it excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, so it is also the material with the lowest resistivity in the world. Therefore, the energy density of batteries made of graphene will be as high as 600Wh/kg, while the most advanced lithium battery is only 180Wh/kg.
Picture
For example, a graphene battery can be charged for 5 minutes and talk for 24 hours.
In addition, the weight of graphene batteries is one-eighth of that of traditional lithium batteries and their lifespan is twice as long. Think about the development bottlenecks of the current mobile phone, electric vehicle and other industries...
In the most anticipated field in the future - the field of bioengineering, graphene may be a superstar for humans.
Boise State University in the United States published an article titled "Graphene Foam Provides a Three-Dimensional Platform for Myotube Growth", which studied the application of graphene foam in muscle tissue. The results show that graphene foam is suitable as a scaffold material for growing functional muscle tissue. Graphene itself is a thin layer of carbon, so it is considered a two-dimensional planar material, but graphene foam is a 3D graphene made from graphene.
Ultimately, the researchers used the unique properties of graphene and graphene foam in human organ regeneration. Past studies have confirmed that bone and cartilage can be grown on graphene foam, but this is only the first step in the compatibility of graphene foam with muscle growth.
Estrada, an assistant professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University, said: "We hope to use these results to investigate the basic chemical changes of life and advance to clinical applications." In the future, through the new material of graphene foam, it may become a switch to control muscles, similar to the nerves that control muscles, and it may not be a fantasy to bring benefits to the disabled.
Image
Light is the most mysterious thing, and no one will not bow down to a new way to produce light.
MIT researchers have discovered a process similar to the sonic boom that occurs when an airplane exceeds the speed of sound: Electric charges flowing through graphene can, under certain circumstances, exceed the slowed speed of light, creating a "burst" of light, an intense, focused beam of light.
This new way of converting electrical energy into visible radiation is highly controllable, fast and efficient. The researchers say it could lead to a variety of new applications.
"Graphene can capture light through what we call surface plasmons," the researchers said. Plasmons are virtual particles that represent the oscillations of surface electrons. These plasmons travel through graphene hundreds of times slower than the speed of light in free space." This property also opens up the possibility of graphene having the opposite effect: forming light instead of capturing it.
Many scientific studies have shown us the amazing features of graphene, but there is a catch.
These wonderful properties require very high sample quality. To obtain graphene samples with the best electrical and mechanical properties, a time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive method is required: mechanical exfoliation - first sticking tape to graphite and then manually peeling the graphene off.
Some experts believe that the current graphene craze is similar to the investment impulse in shipbuilding and photovoltaics in the past, reflecting the deep-rooted speculation of enterprises and governments. A graphene enterprise manager even said that this is certainly due to the blindness of entrepreneurs, but more of it is the GDP impulse of local governments, and the risk of "bubble" behind it should not be underestimated.
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