The world’s thinnest sheet of glass ever has been created — and it measure just two atoms in thickness. Better not chance dropping anything made out of that.
Created by scientists at Cornell University, the glass is actually the result of an accident as opposed to concerted effort. While attempting to produce pure graphene, the researchers noticed some — in their words — “muck” forming. On analysis, it was a thin layer made up of silicon and oxygen, which at just two atoms thick has now been confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the thinnest glass ever created.
The researchers suspect that a simple air leak caused a reaction between copper foils in the experimental set-up they were using. It’s not just a quirky discovery, though: the new form of glass is allowing the scientists to understand the structure of glass more accurately than ever. They even think the super-thin material could be used in future transistors — so, while it might never form the screen of your smartphone, it may at least help power it at some point. [Cornell via Verge]
Image by Nesster under Creative Commons licence