World's Thinnest Pane of Glass

Cornell University researchers stumbled upon the world's thinnest pane of glass, measuring one molecule — two atoms — in thickness. The pane is so thin that it's actually two-dimensional.

The scientists were trying to make graphene, a two-dimensional sheet of carbon, when an air leak caused a chemical reaction that produced the record-setting glass, according to university newspaper, the Cornell Chronicle.

“This is the work that, when I look back at my career, I will be most proud of,” David Muller, a Cornell physics professor, said in the report. "It's the first time that anyone has been able to see the arrangement of atoms in a glass."

Muller said the discovery has helped scientists finally observe a fundamental property of glass: It behaves like a solid, but looks like a liquid.

Aside from theoretical applications, the discovery may someday improve the performance of electronic devices, such as smartphones, by providing material that could eventually be used in transistors.

Source: mashable.comAdded: 26 September 2013