With a diameter of two atoms and the strength of steel ... a new layer may change the science of electronics

For the first time, a joint research team from several US universities has managed to build a two-dimensional nanoscale with a stiffness that surpasses steel, which is believed to contribute to the development of nanoelectronics and quantum information technology.

According to the study, which was published in the journal Science and announced by Argonne National Laboratory participating in the study, in a press release on April 5, these new segments consist of boron and hydrogen.

Two-dimensional materials are crystalline solids that have a normal length and width but have a diameter of one or two atoms (Getty Images)

Two-dimensional materials!

In solid state physics, the term two-dimensional materials refers to crystalline solids of normal length and width but with a diameter of one or two atoms.

This scope is still under discussion, but it holds promising future opportunities in practical application.

To build these slices, the researchers used scanning tunneling microscopes, which have a magnification of 100 million times, along with computer simulation models so that the team could understand how the two elements are positioned together.

This is not the first time that researchers have been able to build slices with a diameter of an atom or two, but with greater strength than steel. In the past two decades, many teams have been able to build graphene chips, which are usually made only of carbon atoms.

Hydrogen (red) was added to boron (green) to make the new chips (uric alart).

Promising applications

The boron chips that appeared in 2015 represented a promising opportunity to produce alternatives to graphene, but they faced some problems in their rapid interaction with air, and at this stage this American research team intervenes to add hydrogen to the composition, making it more stable.

What distinguishes the new chip is that it can be easily combined with other materials in building new devices within the range of "optoelectronics", a range that combines the sciences of light and the sciences of electronics.

This research team believes that there are promising applications for this type of chip in the scope of telecommunications, medical equipment and electronics, in the fields of nanotechnology and information technology in quantum computers and solar cells.