New experiments reveal previously unseen effects, could lead
to new kinds of electronics and optical devices.
Graphene has dazzled scientists, ever since its discovery
more than a decade ago, with its unequalled electronic properties, its strength
and its light weight. But one long-sought goal has proved elusive: how to
engineer into graphene a property called a band gap, which would be necessary
to use the material to make transistors and other electronic devices.
Now, new findings by researchers at MIT are a major step
toward making graphene with this coveted property. The work could also lead to
revisions in some theoretical predictions in graphene physics.