Communications of the ACM
Institute Says It Can Mass-Produce Graphene
Credit: University of California, Riverside
Scientists have leaped over a major hurdle in efforts to begin commercial production of a form of carbon that could rival silicon in its potential for revolutionizing electronics devices ranging from supercomputers to cell phones. Called graphene, the material consists of a layer of graphite 50,000 times thinner than a human hair with unique electronic properties. Their study, "Graphene Synthesis on Cubic SiC/Si Wafers. Perspectives for Mass Production of Graphene-Based Electronic Devices," appears in ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal.
Victor Aristov of the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (Dresden, Germany) and colleagues indicate that graphene has the potential to replace silicon in high-speed computer processors and other devices. Standing in the way, however, are today's cumbersome, expensive production methods, which result in poor-quality graphene and are not practical for industrial scale applications.
Aristov and colleagues report that they have developed "a very simple procedure for making graphene on the cheap." It "represents a huge step toward technological application of this material as the synthesis is compatible with industrial mass production," their report notes.
From Zimbio Inc.
View Full Article
No entries found