The Last Mysteries of Mica

1/2 images 1 of 2 images or videos A well-known mineral is once again the center of attention thanks to applications in electronics: the Vienna University of Technology shows that mica still has surprises in store. At first glance, mica is something quite ordinary: it is a common mineral, found in granite for example, and has been extensively studied from geological, chemical and technical perspectives. One might think that nothing new can be discovered from such an everyday material. But now a team from the Vienna University of Technology has presented a study in the journal "Nature Communications", in which it was possible to explain the distribution of potassium ions on the mica surface. The physical surface details of mica have never been studied on an atomic scale, and this information is important for research on electronics with 2D materials. Atomically thin layers. Atomically thin layers 2D materials are currently one of the most researched topics in materials science: Certain materials, such as graphene and molybdenum disulfide, consist of only one or a few layers of atoms, which frequently leads to unusual properties.