Graphene

by Scott Merrill on October 13, 2009

Graphene, as everyone knows, “is a one-atom-thick planar sheet of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice.” (Seriously, I didn’t just check Wikipedia for that.) Scientists have been using the material for lots of different applications for some time now. Recent work at IBM’s T. J. Watson Research Center has focused on using graphene as a photodetector, and it turns out that it does a pretty good job in that role.

Scientists make flat ice

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by Scott Merrill on September 10, 2009

Ice doesn’t get me very excited. I rarely get ice in my beverages because it’s merely “delayed water”. But some scientists have been studying ice, and have created a completely flat sheet of ice only two molecules thick. Apparently ice normally forms in a “puckered” layered formation. Thrilling! All you need is some graphene, platinum, a vacuum, and the ability to lower temperatures to 125 kelvin (about negative 235 F, or the temperature on the dark side of the moon).

Atom-sized transistor is world’s smallest

by Nicholas Deleon on April 18, 2008

Made from graphene, scientists in the UK have created the world’s smallest transistor. Size? Oh, say, about the size of an atom.

The transistor, which could totally change the way electronics are made, is just one atom thick and 10 atoms wide. Again, it’s made from graphene, which, apparently, is a significantly better conductor of electricity than silicon. “We believe we can increase this mobility of electron flow 10-fold.”

So yes, pretty small. The transistor is actually embedded somewhere in the device to the right. Obviously you can’t see it—it’s too small!