After two years of researches, scientists created new two-dimensional semiconductor material that can boost electricity production without extra power requirements. The team of physicists from the Stanford University, who have conducted the experiments are not convinced that the new material is indeed 2D stanene.
2D stanene has long been announced as the perfect replacement for regular electricity semiconductors, but no previous study has managed to deliver it. Shou-Cheng Zhang, the co-author of the recent study has managed to create a tin mesh with a one-atom width, a discovery that has never been made before.
The thin foil has been created through the vaporization of the tin within a vacuum. The atoms were left to freely arrange themselves on the surface; thus enabling the formation of a honeycomb pattern. For this reason, scientists are not convinced that the newly created material is, indeed, the two-dimensional stanene because similar topological insulators are created in the same manner.
According to Zhang, future studies will be conducted on the crystal arrangements of the material to determine whether the tin mesh is indeed stanene or not. However, the surface of the material has a honeycomb pattern, which indicates scientists that they have indeed discovered the much-promised one-atom tin material.
Scientists have further explained how stanene works in relation to graphene, its less efficient cousin. Based on the observations they have made, it appears that electrons travel at a much faster speed on the surface of stanene. Yet, they manage to successfully avoid other atoms and electrons on the tin surface.
In addition, temperatures are significantly reduced because electrons no longer travel through the center of the material, but rather towards its edges. The trajectory is simpler and faster this way; thus, conducing electricity.
There are many appliances that one could find to the highly conductive material. Zhang estimates that two-dimensional stanene will most likely be used to increase computer speed, while maintaining the same power requirements. Moreover, the honeycombed surface of the material could be used to change the regular microprocessor wiring, which, in spite being good, is not energy efficient at all.
Devices could become a lot faster thanks to the one-atom wide material, Zhang has concluded; therefore, many more studies will be conducted in this direction.
The new experiment has been published in the journal Nature.
Image source: graphene.nus.edu.sg
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