When it comes to electrically conductive nanomaterials, graphene -- stronger and lighter than steel and more conductive than copper -- has been shown to be an excellent choice for a wide range of technologies.
Physicists are working to learn more about this impressive form of naturally occurring elemental carbon, which is composed of a single flat layer of carbon atoms arranged in a repeating hexagonal lattice.
Now, researchers from the Florida State University Department of Physics and FSU-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have published new findings that reveal how various physical manipulations of graphene, such as layering and twisting, impact its optical properties and conductivity. The study was published in the journal Nano Letters.
The team, led by Assistant Professor Guangxin Ni, along with Assistant Professor Cyprian Lewandowski and graduate research assistant Ty Wilson, found that the conductivity of twisted bilayer graphene is not heavily impacted by physical or chemical manipulations and instead depends more on how the material's minute geometry structure changes by interlayer twisting -- a revelation that opens the door for additional studies on how lower temperatures and frequencies impact graphene's properties.
To read more, click here.