The term two-dimensional (2D) materials generally refers to a single layer of atoms spaced within an atomically thin crystal sheet. Such materials have good electrical and mechanical properties, however, they are also costly to produce, and being rigid, cannot be stretched. This means 2D materials are inherently challenging to scale up for industrial applications.
Materials that retain many of the desirable properties of crystalline 2D materials, but are more robust, less rigid, and cheaper to make, have long been desired.
Achieving what was previously thought to be impossible, Professor Barbaros Özyilmaz, Head of NUS Materials Science and Engineering, discovered a method to synthesise a one-atom-thick amorphous material. Termed monolayer amorphous carbon (MAC), this material is essentially a 2D material that exists in an amorphous film, rather than as a crystal. It can be stretched into irregular shapes and remains conformed to that shape. It retains the properties of traditional 2D materials.
The material is synthesised by vapourising a carbon-containing precursor gas into an atomically fine mist. This turns the carbon precursors into highly reactive, energetic species which form a MAC film when they hit the surface of almost any substrate, including copper, gold and stainless steel.
The potential for industrial applications of MAC films could revolutionise batteries, semiconductors and filtration membranes. It may also complement 2D crystals such as graphene.
Expanding the horizons of potential spintronic applications with black phosphorus unique puckered crystal structure
The Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials (I-FIM) is NUS’ newest national Research Centre of Excellence (RCE), and hopes to revolutionise new interdisciplinary approaches towards materials synthesis
Monolayer amorphous film (MAC) is a potential low-cost material to address industry needs, and for some applications, it may be an alternative to two-dimensional crystals such as graphene
Toh, C. T., Zhang, H., Lin, J., Mayorov, A. S., Wang, Y. P., Orofeo, C. M., ... & Özyilmaz, B. (2020). Synthesis and properties of free-standing monolayer amorphous carbon. Nature, 577 (7789), 199-203.
Griffin, E., Mogg, L., Hao, G. P., Kalon, G., Bacaksiz, C., Lopez-Polin, G., ... & Lozada-Hidalgo, M. (2020). Proton and Li-ion permeation through graphene with eight-atom-ring defects. Acs Nano, 14 (6), 7280-7286.
Lin, F., Qiao, J., Huang, J., Liu, J., Fu, D., Mayorov, A. S., ... & Özyilmaz, B. (2020). Heteromoiré Engineering on magnetic Bloch transport in twisted graphene Superlattices. Nano Letters, 20 (10), 7572-7579.
Avsar, A., Tan, J. Y., Kurpas, M., Gmitra, M., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., ... & Özyilmaz, B. (2017). Gate-tunable black phosphorus spin valve with nanosecond spin lifetimes. Nature Physics, 13 (9), 888-893.
Bae, S., Kim, H., Lee, Y., Xu, X., Park, J. S., Zheng, Y., ... & Iijima, S. (2010). Roll-to-roll production of 30-inch graphene films for transparent electrodes. Nature nanotechnology, 5 (8), 574-578.
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