Invented electric switch three atoms thick

Stanford engineers have simulated electronic switch between conducting and nonconducting states of the crystal of a special kind. A study by researchers published in the journal Nature Communications, and briefly with him can be found at Stanford University.

Scientists believe they have found a material capable of switching between conducting and nonconducting states of the crystal. Material is a flexible crystal thickness of only three atoms: a layer of molybdenum atoms sandwiched between two layers of tellurium atoms.

Computer modeling has shown that one of the properties of a crystal is its ability to quickly switch between their different conducting states with relatively small effects on the sample. This property of the crystal have been linked to changes in the structure of the crystal lattice as a result of its deformation after mechanical impact on the crystal as a whole (for example, after his inflection or shaking).

Until now, scientists have only the concept of the crystal; in the near future, the researchers hope that experimentalists will be able to make such a switchable material. Theoretical materials science, which involved scientists who proposed the new material is a new and promising area of ​​science. According to researchers, this switch can be used in production, such as modern smartphones with flexible displays or special clothing.