Finding just published by Columbia University researchers in the journal Science, could lead to ultralight, paper-thin aircraft parts, super-tough bulletproof vests and even a 23,000-mile elevator to space long dreamed of by scientists.

Pencil lead - commonly known as graphite - is made up of one-atom-thick graphene sheets squeezed together. To learn about graphene's strength, postdoctoral researcher Chenggu Lee had to figure out how to peel graphene sheets from graphite.