Graphene based electronics

Graphene is a unique material that promises to revolutionise electronics. Consisting of a two dimensional hexagonal lattice of carbon molecules (effectively a single layer of graphite) it is the thinnest, strongest and most conductive material ever discovered. As such it could lead to the development of flexible computer displays, lighter airplanes and faster Internet connections. The government has recently recognised the promise of this material, with Chancellor George Osborne promising £50m for graphene research.

Now a team of scientists from the University of Manchester, including Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov, who were awarded last year’s Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in developing a method to produce the material, have announced that they are one step closer to fulfilling graphene’s full potential. Writing in Nature Physics earlier this month the team has described how graphene had previously not exhibited Anderson localization, an effect common to many conductors in which they act as insulators at low temperatures. However, by creating a structure of alternating layers of graphene and boron nitrate, nicknamed the “graphene ‘Big Mac’”, the team was able to cut down on external potentials affecting the graphene and observe the effect.

The lead author of the Nature article, Dr Leonid Ponomarenko, has said “creating the multilayer structure has allowed us to isolate graphene from any negative influences of the environment and control graphene’s electronic properties in a way it was impossible before.”

Professor Geim added that “Leaving the new physics we report aside, technologically important is our demonstration that graphene encapsulated within boron nitride offers the best and most advanced platform for future graphene electronics. It solves several nasty issues about graphene’s stability and quality that were hanging for long time as dark clouds over the future road for graphene electronics. We did this on a small scale but the experience shows that everything with graphene can be scaled up.” He hopes that in the coming months scientists will be able to use this research to create new and improved models of graphene transistors.