Know The Most Beneficial Properties And Uses Of 2D Materials
Nanotechnology is now widely used for numbers of commercial purposes and domestic benefits in modern life. So the scientists of this field get a wide arena for their researches with various kinds of materials. They largely prefer the 2D materials that have only a single layer of atoms, for which these materials have only the length and width, but no height; unlike the other substances of 3 dimensions. Hence, many reputed companies now sell these materials for the uses of the researchers of this stream.
Most prominent 2D materials used in research works
- Graphene is an allotrope of carbon, which is widely used in many laboratory works in the field of nanotechnology. This crystalline form of carbon is derived from graphite only in the last decade and now it is considered the strongest of all 2D substances. This single-layered sheet of carbon atoms is almost transparent and its density is million times more than the density of a copper molecule. Graphene is also beneficial for its high conductivity of heat and electricity.
- Borophene is an allotrope of Boron, which is crystalline in nature. One Borophene sheet contains 36 atoms of Boron arranged in a hexagonal style, with a hole of similar shape at the centre of the sheet. It is available both in natural and artificial forms; though their crystalline structures differ from each other.
- Phosphorene is the allotrope of Phosphorous, which is structurally similar to the graphene. Its electronic properties are much different due to the higher mobility of the electrons than that of the graphene. Thus, phosphorene is a very good semiconductor that is better than the graphene.
Prime properties of the 2D materials used in researches
- Most of these single atomic layered materials are known for their huge strength. The physical strengths of these 2D materials are even greater than the strongest metals, like steel.
- Since most of these materials are single layered, they are very light in physical weight and thus, can be used conveniently for many purposes.
- Every 2D material is a very good conductor of heat and its excellent thermal conductivity is mainly due to its high phonon scattering ability from this single layer of atoms.
- These materials act as great electrical insulators, mainly due to the wide bandgaps in these nanosheets, high tunability of the atomic structure and the flatness of these sheet surfaces. Hence, these materials can be used as dielectrics of various electrical appliances.
All these materials of 2 dimensions are considered to be the boons of nanotechnology, due to their rapid uses in many fields.
