"The results bring graphene – a single-atom thick carbon crystal with unique properties, including superior electrical and heat conductivity, mechanical strength and unique optical absorption – one step closer to being used as a thermal conductor for managing heat dissipation in everything from electronics to photovoltaic solar cells to radars.."

"The University of Manchester team have for the first time demonstrated how graphene inside electronic circuits will probably look like in the future. By sandwiching two sheets of graphene with another two-dimensional material, boron nitride, the team created the graphene ‘Big Mac’ – a four-layered structure which could be the key to replacing the silicon chip in computers. Because there are two layers of graphene completed surrounded by the boron nitride, this has allowed the researchers for the first time to observe how graphene behaves when unaffected by the environment."

"Graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of graphite where carbon atoms are held in a hexagonal lattice reminiscent of chicken wire, has some unusual properties, one of which may allow it to replace silicon in high-speed electronics. At room temperature, graphene exhibits extremely high electron mobility—the speed at which electrons move through the material is over 100 times greater than silicon. However, because its material properties are different from traditional semiconductors, researchers have struggled to develop integrated circuits with graphene components.

"Molybdenite looks similar to mica and is often found with quartz deposits. Its current uses include steel alloy blends and industrial lubricants. What the EPFL team discovered was that molybdenite is also an excellent semiconductor with a 1.8 electron-volt gap. The highly 2D naturally occurring structure of the material makes it more efficient electrically than silicon, this could result in a reduction in standby mode losses by as much as a 10^5."