Can something as simple as the slight twist of a layer of atoms change the rules of physics?
After discovering how to isolate two-dimensional layers of graphite, the scientific community focused on superimposing sheets of different materials to obtain new properties. Until Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, a Spanish physicist, decided to look at graphene from another perspective.
He rotated it and discovered “magic angle graphene.”
What is graphene? A sheet of carbon one atom thick, about 100,000 times thinner than a strand of hair. It is extracted from graphite. Yes, the same graphite found in pencils, but when separated into two-dimensional sheets, it acquires surprising properties. This is why graphene is the strongest, lightest material and the best electrical and thermal conductor. But on its own, it didn’t seem to hold any more surprises… or so it was believed.
Jarillo-Herrero, who studied at the University of Valencia and holds a PhD from MIT, set out to investigate something that “had never been experienced in the history of physics.” He asked himself, “What happens if we superimpose two layers of graphene and rotate one relative to the other?“
There, together with his team, he discovered magic-angle graphene.
- When one sheet of graphene is rotated on top of another at a specific relative angle (approximately 1.1°), something unexpected happens: the graphene becomes something completely new, with physical properties that break the theorems applied to date.
- Electronic interaction becomes stronger and exotic quantum properties emerge.
- Superconductivity, magnetism, and other promising properties are emerging for the world of technology and industry.
- The possibilities are increasing in quantum computing, ultra-low-power electronics, and more energy-efficient artificial intelligence….
Pablo Jarillo-Herrero’s work has been recognized with almost every major international physics award.
The prelude to a Nobel Prize? Together with his team, he is reinventing materials science.
But beyond the awards, it is a discovery that leaves a powerful lesson. Sometimes, innovation is achieved simply by turning what we already have and looking at it from a different angle.
At TECNIMUSA, we applaud this capacity for innovation, for exploring uncharted territory, for observing the familiar in order to improve it and enhance its value.
As an engineering company, we are dedicated to designing and creating machines that do not yet exist. Our eco-efficient automation solutions are designed for efficiency and sustainability in industrial intralogistics.
