An international team of scientists led by a researcher at Queen's University Belfast has developed a material that has similar physical properties to silicon while being more durable, lightweight and flexible. The material layers a carbon molecule known as a "buckyball" with graphene and hexagonal boron nitride to create a van der Waals solid with a unique range of features. This is the first time such an arrangement has been demonstrated in nature.
An international team of scientists led by a researcher at Queen's University Belfast has developed a material that has similar physical properties to silicon while being more durable, lightweight and flexible. The material layers a carbon molecule known as a "buckyball" with graphene and hexagonal boron nitride to create a van der Waals solid with a unique range of features. The researchers believe the material could help create smart devices that are far more robust that current ones, use far less power and conduct electricity at far greater speeds.