Replacing Copper With Pencil Graphite

Late-Eight writes "A key discovery at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could help advance the role of graphene as a possible heir to copper and silicon in nanoelectronics. Researchers believe graphene's extremely efficient conductive properties can be exploited for use in nanoelectronics. Graphene, a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon, eluded scientists for years but was finally made in the laboratory in 2004 with the help of everyday, store-bought transparent tape. The current research, which shows a way to control the conductivity of graphene, is an important first step towards mass producing metallic graphene that could one day replace copper as the primary interconnect material on nearly all computer chips." Researchers are now hot to pursue graphene for this purpose over the previous favorite candidate, buckytubes (which are just rolled-up graphene). Farther down the road, semiconducting graphene might take over from silicon at the heart of logic chips.

Comments

Keep Erasers Away

[HTH NE1]

This will work just fine until someone decides to clean the conductors at their card's edge with an eraser.

Re:Keep Erasers Away

[CommunistHamster]

Also, these things will be impossible to sharpen.

Re:Keep Erasers Away

[Mistlefoot]

I wonder how many people will test this by sticking a pencil in a socket today.

I'll have to scan you-tube over the next few days for clips.

Re:Keep Erasers Away

[TubeSteak]

I wonder how many people will test this by sticking a pencil in a socket today. If you've never seen this pic before, it fits perfectly with the situation.
http://www.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2007/02/misc-cunningplan_forum.jpg

Re:Keep Erasers Away

[Anonymous Coward]

Warning NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

http://www.efukt.com/view.php?id=196 (remove white spaces if any)

Not made it a clicky for obvious reasons, but this is kinda like putting a pencil in a socket, except probably a bit more painful.

More wishful thinking?

[thanatos_x]

I doubt I'd do anything more than pencil this in for somewhere 5 years... no make that 7 years... no, we've really almost perfected it this time...

I hope graphene is expensive...

[ShaunC]

I sort of like seeing the once-a-week news story about how some meth-head electrocuted himself in the process of stealing copper wire to sell for scrap. I'd hate to see the demand for copper go down!

Re:I hope graphene is expensive...

[Viceroy Potatohead]

I needed that copper to buy diapers, you insensitive clod!

but

[inKubus]

is it carbon neutral?

Re:but

[saskboy]

Not only is it neutral, but it's carbon negative. You'd have a source of carbon right from the CO2 in the air around production ~assuming they can use that carbon efficiently by splitting it from the oxygen. I think they'd just need a chlorophyl machine to do that.

Re:There are even more advantages

[zippthorne]

So.. carbon traces on a diamond substrate...

All we need now is a transistor made of soot and we can finally have the elusive all-carbon computer!