An international team of researchers 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 atoms to create a van der Pol solid with a unique range of features . This process for fabricating these so-called van der Waals solids allows compounds to be brought together and assembled in a predefined way. The researchers believe the material can help create smart devices that are far more robust that current ones , use far less power and conduct electricity at far greater speeds .
An international team of researchers 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 atoms to create a van der Pol solid with a unique range of features . The researchers believe the material can help create smart devices that are far more robust that current ones , use far less power and conduct electricity at far greater speeds .