

Will 2-D tin be the next super material? - hythloday
http://m.phys.org/news/2013-11-d-tin-super-material.html

======
tokenadult
The Physical Review Letters abstract[1] (kindly included as a link in the
recycled press release[2] kindly submitted here) may lead to more information
about this preliminary finding.

Research lab press releases are a known part of the Science News Cycle[3] and
are at best just a teaser to get actual working scientists to read the peer-
reviewed journal publications to see how much those really say.

There is such a visceral reaction to PhysOrg as a press-release recycling
service here on Hacker News that I will, not meaning to put down the kind
person who submitted this link, post some previous Hacker News comments about
PhysOrg as a source below the references for this comment. It will be
interesting to see what comes of this preliminary research report.

[1]
[http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v111/i13/e136804](http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v111/i13/e136804)

[2] [http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/04/is-
it-...](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/04/is-it-
journalism-or-just-a-repackaged-press-release-heres-a-tool-to-help-you-find-
out/275206/)

[3]
[http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1174](http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1174)

SOMEWHAT LONG FAQ ON PhysOrg AS A SOURCE:

PhysOrg appears to have been banned as a site to submit from by Reddit. I
learned from other participants here on HN that there are better sites to
submit from.

Comments about PhysOrg:

[http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3077869](http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3077869)

"Yes Physorg definitely has some of the worst articles on the internet."

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3149824](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3149824)

"I viscerally distrust anything from physorg.com. Anyone have a better
option?"

[http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3198249](http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3198249)

"Straight from the European Space Agency, cutting out the physorg blogspam:

[http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1116/](http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1116/)
(press release),

[http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/heic1116a/](http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/heic1116a/)
(video),

[http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/releases/scien...](http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/releases/science_papers/heic1116.pdf)
(paper).

"PhysOrg: just say no."

[http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3611888](http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3611888)

"The physorg article summary is wrong, I think."

[http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4108857](http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4108857)

"Phys.org is vacuous and often flat wrong."

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4890900](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4890900)

"And note that the gravity lamp was announced on physorg.com, famous for how
wrong it is about science topics."

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5106145](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5106145)

"I try and debunk/explain [shady] biological science news wherever possible
here. In fact, it's typically my only contribution, but one I feel is highly
important.

"Your perpetual (and totally correct) crusade against PhysOrg reminds me there
are others doing the same, and for that I thank you."

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5276327](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5276327)

"Physorg? Ugh.

"Didn't even bother click, came here to read comments instead.

"Can HN please ban Physorg like everyone else?"

------
TeMPOraL
Could this material be used for "heavy" stuff, like power transmission or
lifting trains, and not only electronics?

~~~
Sharlin
The square-cube law would probably end up being a problem - there's only _so_
much current that can flow through a one- or two-dimensional conductor even
with zero resistance.

~~~
benjamincburns
By ohm's law, zero resistance means infinite current. I don't know anything
about super conductors, but I thought that was the appeal? If not, what
replaces ohms law in a superconductor? Or, put differently, how is the current
limit defined?

~~~
XorNot
The critical current does. Superconductivity is eventually destroyed by
magnetic fields, so all superconductors can only carry so much current before
they quench and become regular conductors.

But this isn't a superconductor - it's a ballistic conductor. The idea is that
it'll ballistically transport electrons with certain energy levels, which is
functionally superconductivity (they don't lose energy to the conductor
itself). But, since only electrons with a certain energy can enter in the
first place, and since the energy levels are defined as a Boltzmann
distribution, they still have a resistance which is proportional to the band
of electron energies which cannot enter.

So at RT it's _great_ for a CPU, where the problem is you don't want heat
being created on the die itself. But it doesn't allow you to do long-distance
transmission like we'd like to with regular superconductors (since it would
still have a resistance), and the mono-monolecular nature implies it wouldn't
scale anyway.

~~~
hythloday
Thanks so much for this comment - when reading the article I noticed it
carefully circumlocuted "superconductivity", and was curious what the
difference was. This perfectly explains it (and goes into further interesting
detail), which is exactly what I wanted.

------
deletes
That is all nice, but still theoretical. Good luck constructing material made
with flourine in a very specific way.

~~~
moocowduckquack
We can push single atoms around in the lab, so I don't think there will be too
many problems in testing this experimentally.

~~~
Someone
Maybe, but that 'fluorine' part is cause for concern
([http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_won...](http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride.php):
_" The latest addition to the long list of chemicals that I never hope to
encounter takes us back to the wonderful world of fluorine chemistry. I'm
always struck by how much work has taken place in that field, how long ago
some of it was first done, and how many violently hideous compounds have been
carefully studied."_)

There may be a perfectly harmless way to make this at industrial scale, but I
would not bet on it.

~~~
moocowduckquack
Toothpaste manufacture must be nearly impossible then.

~~~
sp332
That's sodium hexafluorosilicate (Na2SiF6). It's much less reactive than
elemental fluorine.

~~~
moocowduckquack
Tin fluoride is also commonly used in toothpaste under the name of stannous
fluoride.

~~~
orware
Hehe, I read "stannous" and immediately thought of Stannis Baratheon.

------
SeanLuke
Headline is misleading.

The magic phrase in the article is "could be".

------
leeoniya
No. [1] (pardon the snark)

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines)

------
pistle
As freely as cars on a freeway? I want better for my electrons.

