Pliable carbon

Researchers have made graphene paper. Graphene is the net of carbon atoms, reminiscent of chicken wire, that forms graphite and carbon nanotubes.

In graphite, electrostatic forces make graphene layers cling together and form microscopic stacks, says Rodney Ruoff, a physical chemist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Different stacks don’t stick together well, which is why pencil lead is soft.