Really, there doesn't seem to be anything that material can't do

May 27, 2013 13:34 GMT  ·  By

Another week, another breakthrough in graphene research. Really, scientists are going crazy about that carbon-based material.

There was a time when graphene was only the best thing since semiconductors. Now it seems it can be used to make anything. From Quantum Computers to batteries and even experiments involving DNA.

And now, the latest breakthrough: lasers. Graphene can be used to make lasers of all things.

According to scientists from various different institutes, ultrashort-pulse lasers can be made thanks to the material's ability to absorb light like a sponge over a wide range of wavelengths.

Light can then be released in quick bursts that last for a few femtoseconds each (with one femtosecond lasting one millionth of one billionth of a second).

Theoretically, it would be possible to develop lasers as thin as pencils but immune to thermal damage. Uses would be found in medicine, pollution monitoring, etc.