Graphene “Nano-Origami” Could Make Computers and Phones Thousands of Times Faster
upstart writes in with an IRC submission:
The tiniest microchips yet can be made from graphene and other 2D-materials, using a form of nano-origami', physicists at the University of Sussex have found.
[...] By creating kinks in the structure of graphene, researchers at the University of Sussex have made the nanomaterial behave like a transistor, and have shown that when a strip of graphene is crinkled in this way, it can behave like a microchip, which is around 100 times smaller than conventional microchips.
Prof Alan Dalton in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sussex, said:
[...] Using these nanomaterials will make our computer chips smaller and faster. It is absolutely critical that this happens as computer manufacturers are now at the limit of what they can do with traditional semiconducting technology. Ultimately, this will make our computers and phones thousands of times faster in the future.
This kind of technology - straintronics" using nanomaterials as opposed to electronics - allows space for more chips inside any device. Everything we want to do with computers - to speed them up - can be done by crinkling graphene like this."
Journal Reference:
Manoj Tripathi, Frank Lee, Antonios Michail, et al. Structural Defects Modulate Electronic and Nanomechanical Properties of 2D Materials, ACS Nano (DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c06701)
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