Advanced materials
先进材料
How medical gloves will help launch satellites
医用手套如何帮助发射卫星
Graphene rises to new heights
石墨烯升上新高度
GRAPHENE IS strong, lightweight, flexible and an excellent conductor of electricity. In the 20 years since it was first isolated at the University of Manchester, however, it has also proved dispiritingly light in useful applications. That is slowly beginning to change, as its remarkable properties keep researchers well-stocked with inspiration. For Krzysztof Koziol at Cranfield University in Britain, for example, what began as a covid-era plan to use graphene to improve surgical gloves has now morphed into a project to use high-altitude balloons to launch satellites into space.
石墨烯坚固、轻质、柔韧，是一种优秀的电导体。不过，自20年前它在曼彻斯特大学被首次分离出来后，它在实际应用上的无足轻重也令人扫兴。这种情况正慢慢开始改变，因为它的卓越特性不断带给研究人员丰富的灵感。例如，对于英国克兰菲尔德大学（Cranfield University）的克日什托夫·科齐奥尔（Krzysztof Koziol）来说，一个最初在新冠疫情期间利用石墨烯改进手术手套的方案现在已经演变成了利用高空气球将卫星发射到太空的项目。
- isolate 使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析
- well-stocked 备货充足的；贮藏量多的
- morph （使）变化；（使）改变
Graphene, which consists of monolayers of carbon atoms bonded in a repeating hexagonal pattern, can be made in a number of ways, mostly by stripping flakes of carbon from mined graphite (sticky tape and pencil lead will do). Levidian Nanosystems, a Cambridge firm, uses a more sustainable process. It captures methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from various industrial sources, and then zaps it with microwaves inside a reaction chamber. This cracks the gas into its constituent parts, with hydrogen emerging at the top and graphene flakes at the bottom.
石墨烯是由单层碳原子以六边形模式重复键合而成，可以通过多种方式制成，主要是从开采的石墨中剥离碳片（就像用胶带从铅笔芯上粘一些石墨下来一样）。位于剑桥的Levidian Nanosystems公司采用了一种更加可持续的工艺。它从各种工业排放源中捕获甲烷（一种强效温室气体），然后在反应室内用微波将其分解。这会让甲烷裂解成其组成元素，顶部生成氢，底部是石墨烯薄片。
- hexagonal 六角形的、六边形的
- flake 小薄片；（尤指）碎片
- methane 甲烷；沼气
- zap （突然而猛烈地）毁坏，杀死，打击
