Graphene seen as electronics leap forward

EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say a new method of modifying graphene, a material with exceptional strength and conductivity, could mean faster, thinner, flexible electronics.

Many researchers believe the one-atom thick, honeycomb-shaped lattice of carbon could rival silicon in transforming integrated circuits and could lead to ultra-fast computers, cellphones and related portable electronic devices.

One hurdle facing scientists is that unlike semiconductors such as silicon, pure graphene is a so-called "zero band-gap" material, making it difficult to electrically "turn off" the flow of current passing through it.

Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a method to turn pristine graphene into graphene oxide to overcome this problem.

"Performing chemical reactions on graphene is very difficult," materials science professor Mark C. Hersam said in a university release. "Typically, researchers employ aggressive acidic conditions ... that damage the lattice and result in a material that is difficult to control."

Researchers have developed a technique to uniformly insert highly reactive oxygen atoms into the graphene lattice.

"In our method ... the resulting graphene oxide is chemically homogeneous and reversible -- leading to well-controlled properties that can likely be exploited in high-performance applications" and graphene-based devices, Hersam said.