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

I call bullshit

[Anonymous Coward]

Why is it "pencil graphite"? Why not just graphite? Is it because we're all too stupid to know that graphite is used in pencils? Or is there something magical about the graphite found in pencils that makes it particularly useful for making chips? I guarantee that there are no pencils filled with graphene.

Re:More wishful thinking?

[thanatos_x]

To assume my puns are unintentional would be to assume that I do not get your sarcasm.