Physicists Find Misaligned Carbon Sheets Yield Unparalleled Properties

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A material composed of two one-atom-thick layers of carbon has grabbed the attention of physicists worldwide for its intriguing — and potentially exploitable — conductive properties.

A material composed of two one-atom-thick layers of carbon has grabbed the attention of physicists worldwide for its intriguing — and potentially exploitable — conductive properties.

Dr. Fan Zhang, assistant professor of physics in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at The University of Texas at Dallas, and physics doctoral student Qiyue Wang published an article in June with Dr. Fengnian Xia’s group at Yale University in Nature Photonics that describes how the ability of twisted bilayer graphene to conduct electrical current changes in response to mid-infrared light.

From One to Two Layers

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a flat honeycomb pattern, where each hexagon is formed by six carbon atoms at its vertices. Since graphene’s first isolation in 2004, its unique properties have been intensely studied by scientists for potential use in advanced computers, materials and devices.

Read more at University Of Texas At Dallas

Image: Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a flat honeycomb pattern, where each hexagon is formed by six carbon atoms at its vertices. UT Dallas physicists are studying the electrical properties that emerge when two layers of graphene are stacked.  CREDIT: University Of Texas At Dallas