The Thinnest Paper in the World | Hacker News Reader

The Thinnest Paper in the World

nytimes.com

87 pointsmhb32 comments

Doctor Yueh put an object on the table between them - black, oblong, no larger than the end of Paul's thumb.

"It is a very old Orange Catholic Bible made for space travelers. Not a filmbook, but actually printed on filament paper. It has its own magnifier and electrostatic charge system." He picked it up, demonstrated. "The book is held closed by the charge, which forces against spring-locked covers. You press the edge - thus, and the pages you've selected repel each other and the book opens."

There are many thinner materials: 10-micron aluminum foil is commonplace in households, and disposable plastic shopping bags are usually about the same thickness, while this paper is 20 microns. Any of these could fit Yueh's 1800-page book into the thickness of Paul's thumb, 18-36 mm. But typical gold leaf is 0.1 nanometers thick, a hundred times thinner.

What's notable about this paper is that it's paper that thin.

The number for gold leaf cannot be right. The unit cell spacing for gold is around 0.4 nm.

At 0.1nm you will have monolayer gold. By the way, the first monolayer metals were synthesized just last year, and published this March in Nature Materials.

You're right, it's 100 nanometers. I first wrote "100 nanometers", then decided to convert to microns to make it easier to compare to the other thicknesses, and then forgot to change the unit name from "nanometers" to "microns". Also "a hundred times thinner" should read "a thousand times thinner". Thank you for the correction!

I thought iron monolayers had been made in 2014?

They were just around 10-20 atoms that were inside graphene holes. They were technically the first, but I have big doubts about their scalability. The new work I was mentioning comes from Josh Robinson's lab at Penn State - the same guys that synthesized monolayer gallium nitride 3 years back.

I see! Thank you!

I'd like a wafer that thin.

You would still explode ofc.

Even if it's not mint?

Have you thought about trying thin-film amorphous semiconductors?

Nah, I'm full.

Just a thin film, sir!

Well, perhaps just a micron or two...

Here's the company Hidaka Washi mentioned in the article:

https://www.hidakawashi.com/jp/paper-TENGU/index.html

They make "tengu jo-shi" (典具帖紙), the world's thinnest paper, also called "the wings of a Mayfly". Around the beginning of the 20th century they achieved a thickness/thinness of 0.03 millimeters.

The paper became popular for typewriter paper, as well as napkins, wrappers for precious stones, coffee filter, lens polishing, calligraphy, pressing flowers, fish printing.

Some paper varieties: https://www.hidakawashi.com/jp/items/index.html

After World War II, its popularity waned with the decline of typewriters.

However, in recent years it was discovered that the papar was suitable for restoration of paintings, sculptures, and historical documents. It's been used to restore murals of Michelangelo, and works in the Louvre.

while we're on thin and japan companies, youtube taught me about Disco, the wafer slicing disc company. Such a "trivial" problem in definition yet very impressive when you think about it.

What I love most about these small engineering companies making high tech niche products is their no thrills, stuck in the 90's websites.

Huge contrast to dark pattern based websites dedicated to selling stuff to consumers.

I guess they just don't bother since it'll make no difference to their bottom line. They're well known in their niche and probably as the only go-to solution for this kind of problem, I imagine the likes of Intel and TSMC have them on speed dial so their products sell without marketing or fancy websites.

I like that too. I naturally dislike marketing tricks, and enjoy seemingly old or bland but technically worthy things.

Have I got the channel for you! Technology Connections: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy0tKL1T7wFoYcxCe0xjN6Q . My introduction was his rice-cooker video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSTNhvDGbYI .

I binged his videos quite a lot already. Very nice right ?

> while we're on thin and japan companies, youtube taught me about Disco, the wafer slicing disc company.

That sounds interesting! Could you point to any good video?

I forgot which video talked about that, but there are a lot of video about it.

here's a tiny history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f5Gfeekl5Q

search for wafer dicing disco, lots of machinery

Mirror: http://archive.is/Pq1XY

I find it interesting that they use mulberry trees, seeing as silkworms famously feed on mulberry trees as well and the end products are somewhat similar.

Reminds me of Tomoe River Paper [0]. They originally made paper for industrial purposes but now sell it to fountain pen users. It’s made in japan as well, and unlike any paper I’ve seen produced elsewhere.

[0] https://unsharpen.com/company/tomoe-river/

So... How many times can you fold it?

Reminds me of the Japanese Kezuroukai - Thin Shaving Competition (Wood Planing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ubv3kS9fhs

> ... with an ethanol-activated adhesive brushed onto one side ...

I wonder what they use.

And how they know that it's long-term stable.

Searching "tengujo ethanol adhesive" just gives me TFA and derivatives.

Probably some Lascaux acrylic adhesive. It becomes stickier when ethanol is applied to it.

They're making toilet paper thinner everydays ...

I found this thing: Hamada Washi, a 150-year tradition of Japanese paper making, 28 Feb 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYNDNS8eTC4 I think it was too short, but for the moment it lasted, it fulfilled my life.

If you would like to buy some in the US, Hiromi paper carries this paper.

I knew without clicking that it had to be Japanese… fascinating product…

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