Single-Atom Layer of Tin May Be a New Wonder Conductor

Posted by timothy on Sunday November 24, 2013 @11:32PM from the but-does-it-have-heart? dept.

At Kurzweil AI, an article proclaims that the next wonder material for computer chips may be an unexpectedly common one: "Move over, graphene. 'Stanene' — 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." (Original paper is available here, but paywalled.)

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Re:It's all simulations! by StripedCow · 2013-11-25 00:52 · Score: 5, Interesting

What is the maximum current that can be transported through strips of various widths?
Other questions:
1. If a sheet of 1 atom thickness can transport x A/m at no loss, (ampere per meter of sheet), then how close can you stack these sheets together before x becomes significantly less?
2. If there is a (mutual) magnetic interference between two layers that destroys the superconducting effect, then will the superconductor actually work when immersed in an external magnetic field?

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If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.