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New ultra-thin metal foil technology promises to transform the electronics industry, enabling more compact, lightweight and high-performance devices
Researchers from Chinese Academy of Physics developed metal sheets with only a few atoms thick. The study, published in the journal Nature, shows that a new technique allows the manufacture of 2D sheets of bismuth (Bi), gallium (Ga), indium (In), tin (Sn) and lead (Pb).
These materials are hundreds of thousands of times thinner than a human hair.
The innovation of this work lies in the stability of these sheets. When metals are reduced to such a thin layer, their properties change significantly due to quantum confinement.
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However, stabilizing these materials at larger sizes has always been a challenge. The atoms tend to return to their three-dimensional arrangement and oxidize quickly when exposed to air.
The Chinese team developed a practical and affordable method to get around this problem. Using a benchtop hydraulic press, the researchers produced 2D crystals grown in air and with dimensions greater than 100 micrometers.
This size is significantly greater than progress made by previous techniques, which provide more sophisticated and expensive equipment.
Ultra-thin metal sheets: a new approach to 2D metals
Scientists say the method can be applied to any metal with a low melting point. The process involves heating the metal and stretching it between two sapphire anvils. As the material cools, an ultra-thin sheet is formed, which can be separated from the device without compromising its structure.
The innovation has caught the attention of the scientific community. Javier Sanchez-Yamagishi, a physicist specializing in 2D materials at the University of California, said the stability and size of these sheets open up many possibilities.
According to him, the discovery is a starting point for new research, enabling the integration of these metals with other materials and the creation of advanced electronic devices.
"This is just a starting point“, said Javier Sanchez.Now other people can step in and start studying the properties of metal sheets."
The method developed by the Chinese researchers differentiates itself from previous approaches precisely because of the scale of production. Although this is not the first time that atomically thin metals have been manufactured, the results obtained in this study stand out for the process predictions and the quality of the sheets produced.
Impact on the electronics industry
The discovery could revolutionize the design of electronic devices. Experts say these ultra-thin metal sheets could be used to make low-power transistors, high-performance chips and highly sensitive detectors.
The possibility of manufacturing these metals on a large scale could lead to the development of new electronic and photonic components.
The research showed that the technique is efficient for producing thin sheets of different metals, indicating great potential for future applications.
The next step for scientists will be to further explore the electrical and mechanical properties of these leaves.
Understanding how these materials behave under different conditions could lead to important advances in electronics, nanotechnology and even the construction of more accurate sensors.
The team responsible for the study believes that other researchers will be able to use this technique to expand knowledge about 2D metals.
The discovery opens up new possibilities in creating ultra-thin metals, which could play a key role in the next generation of electronic technologies.
