14 DAY TRIAL // Considered the holy grail of semiconductors, Graphene has been the heart of next-generation processor and storage device research for years.
In fact, it has been theorized that it can be used in just about anything really.
Unfortunately, researchers from Rice University have discovered a big problem with graphene, one that crops up in many sheets of the material.
Normally, graphene is made of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern.
The scientists have found that the edges of the sheets can be problematic, as when the layer stops, the hexagons are interrupted, leaving behind five and seven-atom rings.
Lab-grown sheets also end up being composed of graphene “islands” called grains. Where the grains meet, the flaw we have mentioned occurs.
It is those flaws that can cause problems, basically cutting the strength of graphene in half.
It doesn't remove the usability of the material, but it puts a dampener on the potential. A big one.