Category Physics

Schematic representation of the crack propagation in 2D MoS2 at the atomic level. Dislocations shown with red and purple dots are visible at the crack tip zone. Internal tensile stresses are represented by red arrows.

Cracks sank the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic; decrease the performance of touchscreens and erode teeth. We are familiar with cracks in 3D objects, but how do thin 2D materials crack? 2D materials, like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), have emerged as an important asset for future electronic and photoelectric devices. However, the mechanical properties of 2D materials are expected to differ greatly from 3D materials...

Orange luminous OLED on a graphene electrode. The two-euro coin serves as a comparison of sizes. Credit: © Fraunhofer FEP

New OLEDs can, for example, be integrated into touch displays, and graphene promises many other applications for the future. The graphene electrodes have an area of 2 × 1 sq cm. “This was a real breakthrough in research and integration of extremely demanding materials,” says FEP’s project leader Dr. Beatrice Beyer. The process was developed and optimized in the EU-funded project “Gladiator” (Graphene Layers: Production, Characterization and Integration) together with partners from industry and research.

Graphene is light, transparent and extremely hard and has more tensile strength than steel. It is flexible, conductive for heat or electricity. It is only 0...

Argonne researchers are the first to capture the formation of nanomaterial defects in near-real time. Their work will help other researchers model the behavior of materials, a step that is key to engineering stronger, more reliable materials. Credit: Mark Lopez/Argonne National Laboratory

From blacksmiths forging iron to artisans blowing glass, humans have for centuries been changing the properties of materials to build better tools. In modern life, new materials are created to improve today’s items, such as stronger steel for skyscrapers and more reliable semiconductors for cell phones...

A new type of LED is made with crystalline substances known as perovskites. CREDIT Sameer A. Khan/Fotobuddy

Princeton engineers have refined the manufacturing of light sources made with crystalline substances, perovskites, a moreefficient and potentially lower-cost alternative to materials used in LEDs found on store shelves. The researchers developed a technique in which nanoscale perovskite particles self-assemble to produce more efficient, stable and durable perovskite-based LEDs. The advance, reported January 16 in Nature Photonics, could speed the use of perovskite technologies in commercial applications such as lighting, lasers and television and computer screens.

LEDs emit light when voltage is applied across the LED...