Researchers map tiny twists in “magic-angle” graphene

Graphene’s structure, which is composed of a single layer of carbon atoms linked in a hexagonal honeycomb pattern, appears to be delicate.Graphene has been found to be extremely strong ever since it was first discovered in 2004.

Even though graphene is not a metal, it is superior to most metals in its ability to conduct electricity at extremely high speeds.In 2018, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero and Yuan Cao from MIT made the discovery that when two sheets of graphene are stacked together at a slightly offset “magic” angle, the new “twisted” graphene structure can either be an insulator, preventing electricity from passing through the material completely, or, paradoxically, a superconductor, allowing electrons to pass through without resistance.

It was a huge discovery that helped start a new field called “twistronics,” which studies how electronics behave in materials like twisted graphene.