At only one atom thick, graphene is an unusual material that defies ordinary methods of examination. Now a team of researchers at Iowa State University has found a path to uncovering unique new capabilities of graphene, by subjecting it to short laser pulses down to the range of 10 quadrillionths of a second.
Graphene is already known to be an unusually efficient electrical conductor, considering its lack of heft. Headed by physicist Jigang Wang of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Iowa State research team discovered that graphene also has the ability to amplify light.
Wang, who also works at Ames National Laboratory, used laser spectroscopy techniques that are a far cry from the methods initially used to explore graphene. The material was first discovered in 2004 when U.K. researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov literally used a piece of sticky tape to separate a layer of atoms from a chunk of graphite.
Because of its two-dimensional nature, graphene possesses extraordinary properties. It combines unusual strength (200 times stronger than steel, according to one estimate) with flexibility, near-transparency, and the ability to conduct electricity and heat.
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