COLLEGE PARK, Md., March 26 (UPI) -- U.S. physicists at the University of Maryland have demonstrated electrons can travel more than 100 times faster in graphene than in silicon.

The researchers said their finding indicates graphene -- a new, single-atom-thick sheet of graphite containing aspects of semiconductors and metals -- holds great promise for replacing conventional semiconductor materials, such as silicon, in applications ranging from high-speed computer chips to biochemical sensors.

The scientists, led by physics Professor Michael Fuhrer, said they are the first to measure the effect of thermal vibrations on the conduction of electrons in graphene, and show thermal vibrations have an extraordinarily small effect on the electrons.

The study's results are published online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.