Semiconductors, which date back to the 19th century, are used everywhere in electronic devices, from automobile systems and air conditioners to laser treatment in cutting-edge medical systems. The continuing global shortage in semiconductors impacts how high-tech products are made around the world the automotive industry alone is expected to lose $210 billion in revenue, with major players like BMW, Volkswagen and Ford already reporting the effects.
A new spin on one of the 20th century s smallest but grandest inventions, the transistor, could help feed the world s ever-growing appetite for digital memory while slicing up to 5% of the energy from its power-hungry diet.
Graphene is often portrayed as the ultimate conductor, thanks to its flexibility and to its excellent conductivity. However, research has shown that the electrical and the structural quality of graphene are intimately connected, and that nanoscale lattice deformations caused by surface corrugations limit the mobility of electrons in graphene.