MIT

Wonder-material graphene has become even more wondrous after its transformation into a super-strong, three-dimensional form.

A team of researchers at MIT claims to have designed one of the "strongest lightweight materials known" by compressing and fusing flakes of graphene into a sponge-like shape. The object has a density of just five per cent but is ten times stronger than steel.


Graphene, which comprises a single, hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms, was discovered in Manchester in 2004 using a lump of graphite and a roll of sellotape. The discovery, made by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.

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The latest breakthrough, successfully translating two-dimensional graphene into a strong three-dimensional shape, is a small step towards using the material in vehicles, buildings and other devices. Previous attempts to translate graphene into three-dimensions created objects far less strong than seen in simulations.

To make the sponge-like shape, the researchers analysed graphene down to the level of individual atoms to better understand its properties. They then compressed small flakes of graphene using heat and pressure and used a 3D printer to produce a strong, stable structure similar to some corals. To test the strength of the new creation they made a series of 3D structures and carried out stress tests. In a computational simulation, one of the objects, which has five per cent the density of steel, was found to be ten times as strong.

But the findings, published in the journal Science Advances, aren't just limited to graphene. “You can replace the material itself with anything,” Markus Buehler, head of MIT’s department of civil and environmental engineering, told MIT News. “The geometry is the dominant factor." As such, similarly complex and intricate geometry could be used to improve the strength of other materials. "It’s something that has the potential to transfer to many things,” Buehler added.