ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Research → Materials

MIT researchers create extremely strong and light material from graphene flakes

The material is 10 times stronger than steel and is very light.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
January 9, 2017
in Materials, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Highest efficiency in the world: Nano-magnetic computers
Five-decade study links pesticides to breast cancer
New, different type of life could be living in our guts
How to do a skin polish by yourself, at home

The material is 10 times stronger than steel and is very light.

3-D-printed gyroid models such as this one were used to test the strength and mechanical properties of a new lightweight material.
Photo: Melanie Gonick/MIT

The applications for graphene are diversifying. We already knew that the one-atom thick layer is extremely strong in its 2D form. But because it’s so thin, researchers are having a hard time translating that property into the 3D world. Now, Markus Buehler, the head of MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), and his team has managed to overcome that challenge.

They compressed small flakes of graphene through heat and pressure, producing a strong, stable structure which resembles corals. This structure is called a gyroid, a type of infinitely connected surface discovered in 1970/

“Once we created these 3-D structures, we wanted to see what’s the limit — what’s the strongest possible material we can produce,” says Zhao Qin, a CEE research scientist who also participated in the study.

They developed several 3D models, subjecting them to various strength and resistance tests. The computational simulations mimic the material very good. Finally, they found a structure which performed very well – “one of our samples has 5 percent the density of steel, but 10 times the strength,” Qin said. But creating a model doesn’t do much, and they had to actually build it. So they set out and created the 3D structure which is composed of surfaces curved under deformation, something similar to what would happen to sheets of paper. The configuration exhibited natural strength even at a very low density of five percent.

“This is an inspiring study on the mechanics of 3-D graphene assembly,” says Huajian Gao, a professor of engineering at Brown University, who was not involved in this work. “The combination of computational modeling with 3-D-printing-based experiments used in this paper is a powerful new approach in engineering research. It is impressive to see the scaling laws initially derived from nanoscale simulations resurface in macroscale experiments under the help of 3-D printing,” he says.

What makes this research even more significant is that it’s not limited to graphene – the key is the geometry, and you can use it for virtually all materials. Another big advantage of the structure is that it has a huge surface to volume ratio. This means that the potential applications are even broader, ranging from light concrete to filtration devices.

“You could either use the real graphene material or use the geometry we discovered with other materials, like polymers or metals,” Buehler says, to gain similar advantages of strength combined with advantages in cost, processing methods, or other material properties (such as transparency or electrical conductivity).
“You can replace the material itself with anything,” Buehler says. “The geometry is the dominant factor. It’s something that has the potential to transfer to many things.”

Journal Reference: Zhao Qin, Gang Seob Jung, Min Jeong Kang and Markus J. Buehler. The mechanics and design of a lightweight three-dimensional graphene assembly. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601536

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Health

Tennis May Add Nearly 10 Years to Your Life and Most People Are Ignoring It

byTibi Puiu
13 hours ago
Anthropology

Humans Have Been Reshaping Earth with Fire for at Least 50,000 Years

byTudor Tarita
14 hours ago
Biology

The Strangest Microbe Ever Found Straddles The Line Between Life and Non-Life

byTudor Tarita
14 hours ago
News

This $8750 Watch Was Designed for Space and Could Finally Replace Apollo-era Omega Watches

byTudor Tarita
15 hours ago

Recent news

Tennis May Add Nearly 10 Years to Your Life and Most People Are Ignoring It

July 4, 2025

Humans Have Been Reshaping Earth with Fire for at Least 50,000 Years

July 4, 2025

The Strangest Microbe Ever Found Straddles The Line Between Life and Non-Life

July 4, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.