researchers from purdue university have reported on a study of a composite containing nanolayers of aluminum oxide with graphene that is featherweight, flame-resistant, super-elastic, very strong, electrically conductive, and thermally insulating with a number of potential applications,
a new composite material combines ultra-lightweight with flame-resistance, super-elasticity and other attributes that could make it ideal for various applications. (purdue university)
the metamaterial has a honeycomb microstructure, which gives it structural strength and flexibility. the addition of the ceramic aluminum oxide to graphene allows the material to withstand high temperatures without degrading.
“the composite material is made of interconnected cells of graphene sandwiched between ceramic layers,” the article explained. “the graphene scaffold, referred to as an aerogel, is chemically bonded with ceramic layers using a process called atomic layer deposition.”
researchers believe this material could be used as a heat shield for aircraft, a substrate for flexible electronic devices, a flame-retardant and insulating coating, or in sensors and devices that convert heat to electricity.
the research was published in advanced materials in may. the abstract stated:
“a ceramic/graphene metamaterial (gcm) with microstructure-derived superelasticity and structural robustness is achieved by designing hierarchical honeycomb microstructures, which are composited with two brittle constituents (graphene and ceramic) assembled in multi-nanolayer cellular walls.
“attributed to the designed microstructure, well-interconnected scaffolds, chemically bonded interface, and coupled strengthening effect between the graphene framework and the nanolayers of the al2o3 ceramic (nac), the gcm demonstrates a sequence of multifunctional properties simultaneously that have not been reported for ceramics and ceramics–matrix–composite structures, such as flyweight density, 80% reversible compressibility, high fatigue resistance, high electrical conductivity, and excellent thermal-insulation/flame-retardant performance simultaneously.
“the 3d well-ordered graphene aerogel templates are strongly coupled with the nac by the chemically bonded interface, exhibiting mutual strengthening, compatible deformability, and a linearly dependent relationship between the density and young's modulus. considerable size effects of the ceramic nanolayers on the mechanical properties are revealed in these ceramic-based metamaterials.
“the designed hierarchical honeycomb graphene with a fourth dimensional control of the ceramic nanolayers on new ways to scalable fabrication of advanced multifunctional ceramic composites with controllable design suggest a great potential in applications of flexible conductors, shock/vibration absorbers, thermal shock barriers, thermal insulation/flame-retardant skins, and porous microwave-absorbing coatings.”
learn more about the material in an article from nature and in the video below:
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