New super material set to rival graphene?

Called stanene, the material is constructed from a single layer of tin atoms. Its developers claim it can conduct electricity with 100% efficiency, at the same temperature computer chips currently operate. The team, led by Shoucheng Zhang, a physics professor at Stanford University and the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, believe the first application for the material could be in wiring that connects the many sections of a microprocessor, allowing electrons to flow as freely as cars on a motorway. "Traffic congestion would still occur at on and off ramps made of conventional conductors," said Zhang. "But stanene wiring should significantly reduce the power consumption and heat production of microprocessors." While some manufacturing challenges remain - such as ensuring that only a single layer of tin is deposited, and that it remains intact - the researchers are hopeful that stanene could surpass graphene as the new super material of choice. "Eventually, we can imagine stanene being used for many more circuit structures, including replacing silicon in the hearts of transistors," Zhang concluded. "Someday we might even call this area Tin Valley rather than Silicon Valley."