New single molecular layer graphene for solar sail material?

Discovery Of Two-Dimensional Fabric Denotes Dawn Of New Materials Era.
Chernogolovka, Russia (SPX) Oct 22, 2004
"Researchers at The University of Manchester and Chernogolovka, Russia
have discovered the world's first single-atom-thick fabric, which
reveals the existence of a new class of materials and may lead to
transistors made from a single molecule. The research is to be
published in Science on 22 October."
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/materials-04zzt.html

Radical fabric is one atom thick.
"Professor Andre Geim, who leads the research team, explained that the
material they have discovered could be thought of as millions of
unrolled carbon nanotubes which have been stuck together to make an
infinitely large sheet, an atom thick.
They showed that electrons could travel sub-micron distances without
being scattered, which means fast-switching transistors."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3944651.stm

Electric Field Effect in Atomically Thin Carbon Films.
Science, Vol 306, Issue 5696, 666-669 , 22 October 2004
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/conten...t/306/5696/666



Bob Clark

Robert Clark wrote:

[snip]

Radical fabric is one atom thick.
"Professor Andre Geim, who leads the research team, explained that the
material they have discovered could be thought of as millions of
unrolled carbon nanotubes which have been stuck together to make an
infinitely large sheet, an atom thick.
[snip]

The man is an ass. There are a huge number of CLASSES of lamellar
solids - graphite, fluorinated graphite, boron nitride; heavy metal
dichalcogenides, smectite clays, micas, zirconium phosphate and
phosphonates, layered silver sulfonates, a number of high temp ceramic
supercons... They can all be intercalcated and disaggregated re
Bentone lubricant.

Take well-crystallized graphite. Soak in AlCl3/Et2O, all anhydrous.
Remove graphite and ignite. POOF! Disaggregated graphene sheets.
Grafoil gasket material is compressed oriented graphene (great for a
diamagnetic levitation demo with Nd-B-Fe magnets; bismuth is rather
too dense). Nanotubes are rolled graphene sheets. Removing edges
lowers free energy.

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz.pdf