(May 21, 2015) Computer simulations have predicted a new
phase of matter: atomically thin two-dimensional liquid.
This prediction pushes the boundaries of possible phases of
materials further than ever before. Two-dimensional materials themselves were
considered impossible until the discovery of graphene around ten years ago.
However, they have been observed only in the solid phase, because the thermal
atomic motion required for molten materials easily breaks the thin and fragile
membrane. Therefore, the possible existence of an atomically thin flat liquid
was considered impossible.
Now researchers from the Nanoscience Center at the
University of Jyväskylä, led by Academy Research Fellow Pekka Koskinen, have
conducted computer simulations that predict a liquid phase in atomically thin
golden islands that patch small pores of graphene. According to the
simulations, gold atoms flow and change places in the plane, while the
surrounding graphene template retains the planarity of liquid membrane.