Yesterday we saw how graphene can be used as a lubricant to make friction disappear. Today scientists reveal that the two-dimensional sheets of linked carbon atoms can be fashioned into hinges and springs to build microscale machines.
cornelluniversity researchers made the tiny devices using principles from kirigami, the ancient art of cutting and folding paper. Melina Blees and her colleagues decided to try the approach after early studies poking graphene sheets showed that the material behaves physically much like paper–it folds and crumples outside of the sheet’s plane but doesn’t stretch or compress within the plane. Learn more and see photos and video below.
(A large sheet of graphene can be crumpled like soft paper and returns to its original shape in a water and soap solution.)
