Chemistry is a science of ‘chemicals’ in the form of atoms, molecules, compounds and admixtures of substances known to mankind. Earlier studies of chemistry involved examining the properties and structure of substances, making hypotheses, applying hypothetical rules to observe behavior of substances in specified conditions. This branch of physical science also deals with changes in the form of matter. Earlier civilizations had gathered knowledge about elementary principles of chemistry, as the people tried various methods for applying known natural dyes on cloth, or for making various alloys used in making arms, or for making durable ceramics. Over hundreds of years, the accumulated knowledge was systematically recorded for further use. The study of the elements, particularly carbon and silicon resulted in various chemical processes of synthesizing new substances, eventually known as ‘polymers’.
Polymers are large molecules, composed of small molecules, called as monomers, joined together by electron bonds. Polymers, by virtue of their longer molecular chain length and resultant higher mass, are endowed with desired properties like higher strength or toughness. Everyday life of even a common man is unthinkable without the use of polymers, employed in the manufacturing of synthetic fabrics, plastics, and many more items.
The spatial arrangement of most molecules or polymers is three dimensional. It is difficult to imagine two dimensional existence. The nearest two dimensional forms known are sheets of paper or cloth or metal. In such cases the ‘third dimension’, namely ‘thickness’ can be made as small as imaginably possible. This third dimension can be theoretically smallest if the molecule is only “one atom thick”. Many scientists, world over, tried to engineer a process to synthesize macromolecule consisting of chain of all molecules spreading in a single plane. This would create two dimensional polymer. Carbon and silicon are two such elements capable of such a creation However, the practical difficulties in executing the theoretical concepts were enormous. It was an arduous task for scientists. Creation of two dimensional polymer needed joint efforts by scientists and engineers together to produce the right conditions in the laboratory. All other known elements result into ‘third dimension’ while in the process of bonding. This phenomenon occurs because of structure of electrons present in the system therein.
The World’s First Verified 2D Polymers!
The developments in science are published worldwide through various journals. Many scientists, either individually or as teams were engaged in the task of creating a two dimensional macro molecule, known as 2D polymer. As per published journals, two teams of scientists have successfully synthesized 2D polymer of Carbon element. Royal Society of Chemistry has published in their publication known as Chemistry World that the results are ‘verified’ through x-ray diffraction techniques. Another journal Chemical and Engineering News also corroborated their findings, confirming that the synthesis of 2D polymer crystal is indeed a reality.
The development of a synthesis of 2D polymers can prove to be a path breaking milestone in chemical science. The success opens innumerable avenues for further research in membrane technology. Many operations in the fields of electronics shall benefit from the 2D polymer membrane. Similarly, science and technology of optics can also harness the potential of 2D polymers. New generation filters can be made using new polymers, revolutionizing many concepts. However the current success is limited to synthesis of only a few grams of desired material in the laboratory. Although production on a commercially viable scale may be a long haul, scientific communities and technologists are sure of their success on this front also.