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<td>Sun, 8 Jan 2017 15:36:33 -0800</td>
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<td>Eric Sunswheat <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:eric.sunswheat@gmail.com"><eric.sunswheat@gmail.com></a></td>
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<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:eric.sunswheat@gmail.com">eric.sunswheat@gmail.com</a></td>
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<div dir="ltr"><cite>Science Advances </cite> 06 Jan 2017:<br>
Vol. 3, no. 1, e1601536<br>
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601536 <br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/1/e1601536.full">http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/1/e1601536.full</a><br>
<br>
Although the porous graphene assembly can likely (but not
directly) substitute helium, its material features, including
its ultralight nature, outstanding mechanical properties, high
surface area, and stable chemical and thermal properties, remain
promising for many engineering applications, making products
lighter and stronger, which can thereby play a profound
game-changing role in broad industrial areas. Using the
knowledge learned from the current study that the natural curved
2D surface of graphene is disadvantageous to the mechanics of
the 3D assembly, we are working toward further designing and
optimizing the structure of these porous materials by tuning the
surface chemistry of graphene and combining the 2D material with
other polymers for a more efficient use of the material and to
derive improved mechanical scaling laws. The combination of a
theoretical model and computational simulations provides a
powerful tool to explore these opportunities for carbon material
designs.<br>
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2017/01/06/MIT-scientists-create-super-strong-lightweight-3D-graphene/9871483738388/">http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2017/01/06/MIT-scientists-create-super-strong-lightweight-3D-graphene/9871483738388/</a><br>
<p>"One of our samples has 5 percent the density of steel, but
10 times the strength," research scientist Zhao Qin told MIT
News.</p>
<p>Computer models allowed scientists to study each material's
structural form and simulate its response to loading. The
findings suggest a 3D material's tensile and compressive
properties are dependent on the geometry of its structure, not
the strength of the 2D material from which it is derived.</p>
<p>"You could either use the real graphene material or use the
geometry we discovered with other materials, like polymers or
metals," explained Markus Buehler, the head of MIT's
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "You can
replace the material itself with anything. The geometry is the
dominant factor. It's something that has the potential to
transfer to many things."</p>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.techtimes.com/articles/191674/20170107/mit-researchers-develop-porous-3d-graphene-10-times-stronger-than-steel-but-lighter.htm">http://www.techtimes.com/articles/191674/20170107/mit-researchers-develop-porous-3d-graphene-10-times-stronger-than-steel-but-lighter.htm</a><br>
<br>
For the current study, the researchers decided to analyze
graphene down to individual atoms in its structure and they were
able to come up with a mathematical framework that closely
matched observations in their experiments.
<p>Combining heat and pressure, the researchers were able to
compress graphene flakes, creating a strong, stable structure
similar in form to microscopic creatures known as diatoms and
certain corals. With a surface area enormous compared to its
volume, the structure was proven to be remarkably strong.</p>
<p>"Once we created these 3D structures, we wanted to see what's
the limit - what's the strongest possible material we can
produce," said Zhao Qin, one of the study authors.
<snip><br>
</p>
<p>The researchers produced different 3D models in the process,
which they all subjected to tests. In computational
simulations, it was the graphene sample that resulted in a
material that had 10 times steel's strength but had just 5
percent of its density.</p>
<h3>Applications</h3>
<p>Graphene is just an atom thick but the geometry that gave its
new form strength without added heft can also be used on
large-scale structural materials, according to the
researchers. For instance, concrete for structures like
bridges can take on porous geometry to give it a boost in
strength at just a fraction of added weight. As the form
features airspaces within, it may also be used to improve
insulative properties or as part of a filtration system for
either chemical or water processing.</p>
<p>Recently, graphene also made news after researchers from
Trinity College Dublin combined the material with Silly Putty
to create a sensor that is sensitive enough to measure
footsteps from spiders.</p>
<p>Called G-putty, the new material dramatically changes in
electrical resistance with the slightest deformation or
pressure. Specifically, just compressing or stretching it by 1
percent of its usual size will result in a shift in electrical
resistance by a factor of five.</p>
<p>If other materials that can detect deformations were
compressed or stretched at the same rate, just a 1-percent
change in electrical resistance will be observed. This means
G-putty has a sensitivity level 500 times better than these
materials.</p>
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