Bending 2D Nanomaterial Could 'Switch On’ Future Technologies
March 15, 2023 | Rice UniversityEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Rice University materials scientist Boris Yakobson and collaborators uncovered a property of ferroelectric 2D materials that could be exploited as a feature in future devices.
Because they bend in response to an electrical stimulus, single-layer ferroelectric materials can be controlled to act as a nanoscale switch or even a motor, according to the study published in ACS Nano.
Single-layer or 2D materials are typically made up of a single layer of atoms, meaning they are only a few nanometers thick. They have received significant attention in recent years due to their physical, electrical, chemical and optical properties, which makes them useful in applications ranging from consumer electronics to medical and industrial technologies.
“2D materials are very thin and very flexible,” Yakobson said. “In single-layer ferroelectrics, this produces an unexpected spontaneous, active bending behavior.”
“The novelty we found in this study is that there is a connection or coupling between the ferroelectric state and the bending or flexing of the material. This work combines the discovery or prediction of a fundamental property of a class of 2D materials with a practical application angle.”
Ferroelectrics are materials made up of negative and positive ions that can shift to produce spontaneous polarization, meaning the ions segregate based on their electrical charge.
“The interesting thing is that the atoms are not identical,” explains Jun-Jie Zhang, a Rice postdoctoral research associate and lead author on the study. “Some of them are larger, and some are smaller, so the layer symmetry is broken.”
Polarization drives the larger atoms to one side of the 2D-material layer and the smaller atoms to the other side. This asymmetrical distribution of the atoms or ions causes the material surface to bend in ferroelectric state.
“So instead of remaining flat, in ferroelectric state the material will bend,” Yakobson said. “If you switch the polarization – and you can switch it by applying electrical voltage – you can control the direction in which it will bend. This controllable behavior means you have an actuator.
“An actuator is any device that translates a signal – in many cases an electrical signal, but it can be a different kind of signal – into mechanical displacement or, in other words, movement or work.”
The study looked at 2D indium phosphide (InP) as a representative of the class of ferroelectrics for which it predicts this property.
“This new property or flexing behavior has to be tested in a laboratory for specific substances,” Yakobson said. “Its most likely use will be as a type of switch. This behavior is very fast, very sensitive, which means that with a very tiny local signal you can maybe switch on a turbine or electrical engine, or control adaptive-optics telescopes’ mirrors. That’s basically the essence of these actuators.
“When you drive your car, you have a lot of knobs and switches and it makes everything really easy. You don’t have to crank open your car window anymore, you can just turn on a switch.”
Yakobson is Rice’s Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering. Taif University chemist Tariq Altalhi is a co-author on the study.
Suggested Items
Indium Corporation, Industry Partners to Showcase Products “Live@APEX”
03/26/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation®, in cooperation with its industry partners, will feature its proven solder solutions live on the show floor throughout IPC APEX Expo from Apr. 9‒11 in Anaheim, Calif., U.S.
Dymax Will Exhibit Light-Cure Solutions for Today’s Electronics at IPC APEX 2024
03/26/2024 | DymaxDymax, a leading manufacturer of rapid and light-curing materials and equipment, will exhibit at the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in Anaheim, CA, April 9-11.
Ventec to Launch New Bondply Dielectrics and Value-Added Services at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
03/26/2024 | Ventec International GroupVentec International Group is to reveal new products for advanced signal integrity and thermal performance, and introduce services, during IPC APEX EXPO 2024, April 9-11 on booth # 4309.
Electra Polymers Ltd Expands Manufacturing Capacity, Invests in New Facilities and Talent
03/26/2024 | Electra Polymers LtdElectra Polymers Ltd, a leading provider of coatings for the electronics industry, proudly announces a significant expansion of its manufacturing capacity for inkjet materials. The company is making substantial investments in new facilities, talent acquisition, and cutting-edge laboratory equipment to meet the increasing demand for high-performance functional inkjet materials in the market.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
03/22/2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007This week's news feed contains a bunch of big money items, as well as some interesting industrial and technology puzzles to be solved. There’s even some down-home people news from the Dallas SMTA conference held this week. Don’t overlook the latest issue of PCB007 Magazine, either. The topic is sustainability, which is becoming an ecosystem of its own.