CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — New research by engineers at the University of Illinois combines atomic-scale experimentation with computer modeling to determine how much energy it takes to bend multilayer graphene – a question that has eluded scientists since graphene was first isolated. The findings are reported in the journal Nature Materials.

Graphene – a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a lattice – is the strongest material in the world and so thin that it is flexible, the researchers said. It is considered one of the key ingredients of future technologies.