Carbon Sheets an Atom Thick Give Rise to Graphene Dreams

摘要

The lab-coat realm of science may seem worlds away from the fashion-crazed frenzy of New York City's Garment District. Yet science is not immune to fashion trends. Take the science of new materials: High-temperature superconductors, organic electronic materials, even cold fusion have all been trendy topics-some for longer than others. Scientists flock to new areas that show unique promise and offer knotty riddles, but careers can depend on which fashions have staying power and which are mere fads.rnWhen a material called graphene, which consists of single-atom-thick sheets of carbon, came along 5 years ago and caught a spark, it was hard to tell which way it would go. Researchers quickly discovered that these sheets are very strong yet flexible and highly conductive. So interest spiked. But would graphene be a flash in the pan?