Graphene, atom-thick sheets of carbon, has a multitude of unusual properties, and self-healing can now be added to the list. Quentin Ramasse of the SuperSTEM Laboratory in Daresbury, UK, and his colleagues deposited metals on sheets of graphene and then scanned the sheets using an electron microscope. The metals catalysed the breaking of carbon bonds, making holes in the carbons honeycomb structure. When the supply of catalysts had been exhausted, the graphene healed itself.
展开▼
