The new 2D carbon structure is 8 times stronger than graphene.

"Monolayer amorphous carbon is a game-changing material that combines strength with toughness, solving a key problem in 2D materials like graphene. Credit: SciTechDaily.com" (ScitechDaily, A New Carbon Super-Material Is 8x Tougher Than Graphene)

The new 2D materials are tougher than graphene. Graphene is the allotropic form of carbon. The single-atom layer makes that structure stronger. And the reason why 2D monoatomic structures are harder than regular materials is simple. When something impacts the graphene. That monoatomic structure transfers energy to a larger area. The single-atom layer transfers energy out from the structure immediately. And there is nothing that can form a standing wave in the structure. 

The new material called monolayer amorphous carbon, MAC is the thing that makes the 2D monoatomic structure tougher than graphene. The structure involves things that allow the carbon to be elastic. Or flex. And that makes the structure tougher or gives it the ability to flex. The problem with regular graphene is that the structure will not flex at all. Researchers crack the code to twist and stack 2D materials. 

"The regular octahedron and its dual polyhedron, the cube." (Wikipedia, Octahedron)

That thing opens the path to new types of solutions in mechanics and other things like electronics. The graphene layers lose their abilities when they connect. The 2D materials have their fundamental abilities only when they are in 2D structures. If those 2D structures are connected, that means their carbon structures lose their abilities. 

But if those things can remain separated that gives the new types of armor and extremely strong materials possible. The 2D carbon structures that are separated by octahedron carbon pillars can make that kind of material stronger than fullerene pillars. The octahedron pillars are their heads against each other can transport the energy straight through the graphene layers. The problem with nanotube pillars is that they form standing waves in their structure. The octahedron nanocrystals will not make that thing. In those nanocrystals are six atoms which makes them extremely small and able to transport energy straight through those layers. 

"A scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of moiré superlattice formation on a twisted bilayer covalent organic framework (COF). Credit: National University of Singapore" (ScitechDaily, Scientists Just Cracked the Code for Twisting and Stacking 2D Materials)

"STM images of (a) untwisted bilayer COF assembled from 2,7 PDBA; (b) twisted bilayer COF showing moiré superlattices, assembled from 1,6 PDBA. Credit: National University of Singapore" (ScitechDaily, Scientists Just Cracked the Code for Twisting and Stacking 2D Materials)

But making those things requires a system that can see how the graphene interacts in the reaction chamber. 

Imaging the Dynamic Assembly of Bilayer COFs

"Chemists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have successfully captured real-time images of bilayer covalent organic frameworks (COFs) forming in solution. This breakthrough sheds new light on how these layers stack and how moiré superlattices emerge. " (ScitechDaily, Scientists Just Cracked the Code for Twisting and Stacking 2D Materials)

Moiré superlattices are part of the growing field of “twistronics,” where rotating one atomic layer relative to another can create new electronic properties. In this state, electrons no longer behave as independent particles but instead strongly interact with each other, potentially leading to unique forms of superconductivity or magnetism." (ScitechDaily, Scientists Just Cracked the Code for Twisting and Stacking 2D Materials)

"While moiré superlattices have been observed in inorganic materials, they are far rarer in purely organic crystals. This is because moiré patterns require materials that are both ultrathin and highly crystalline — properties that are difficult to achieve in organic materials using conventional imaging techniques." (ScitechDaily, Scientists Just Cracked the Code for Twisting and Stacking 2D Materials)

https://scitechdaily.com/a-new-carbon-super-material-is-8x-tougher-than-graphene

 https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-just-cracked-the-code-for-twisting-and-stacking-2d-materials/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octahedron