Molybdenite As an Alternative To Silicon

An anonymous reader writes "Molybdenite (MoS2) can be used to make transistors that consume 100,000 times less energy in standby state. This mineral, which is abundant in nature, is often used as an element in steel alloys or as an additive in lubricants. Research carried out in Switzerland at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne's Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures (LANES) has revealed that is a very effective semiconductor. Molybdenite's 1.8 electron-volt gap is ideal for transistors and gives it an advantage over graphene (which does not have a gap)."

Comments

Abundant ... hello?

[angel'o'sphere]

This mineral, which is abundant in nature, is often used as an element in steel alloys or as an additive in lubricants. That is a joke, isn't it? Or is it just /.? From Wikipedia: Molybdenum is the 54th most abundant element in the Earth's crust and the 25th most abundant element in the oceans, with an average of 10 parts per billion; it is the 42nd most abundant element in the Universe. That is not abundant that is pretty rare. Considering 35% of the planet is silicon ... or is it more? Regards, Angel