November 21, 2013

Will 2-D Tin be the Next Super Material?


Theorists Predict New Single-Layer Material Could Go Beyond Graphene, Conducting Electricity with 100 Percent Efficiency at Room Temperature

A single layer of tin atoms could be the world’s first material to conduct electricity with 100 percent efficiency at the temperatures that computer chips operate, according to a team of theoretical physicists led by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University.

Researchers call the new material "stanene," combining the Latin name for tin (stannum) with the suffix used in graphene, another single-layer material whose novel electrical properties hold promise for a wide range of applications.