Scientists at Cornwell University have managed to create the world’s thinnest sheet of glass, but don’t expect it to feature in your smartphone any time soon. Heck, if and when it does, you might never know, because it would play a role behind the scenes where your eyes can’t see.
From what we understand, this sheet of ‘graphene glass‘ measures two atoms thick, so you wouldn’t want to drop it, nor would you want to drop anything on it, yourself included. According to the researchers, coming up with the thinnest sheet of glass in the world was a total accident, instead of a concentrated effort.
During an attempt to produce pure graphene, researchers noticed muck forming. Upon investigation, this muck turned out to be a thin layer made up of oxygen and silicon, which at two atoms dense, is the thinnest glass ever conceived by mankind. This didn’t go unnoticed, as the glass formally made its way in the Guinness Book of World Records shortly thereafter.
Researchers expect this super thin glass to be used in future transistors, which would be another step forward in technological advancement. Yay for progress.