molybdenite
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EPFL mixes graphene and molybdenite to make very efficient, flexible flash memory
We've seen graphene chips, and we've seen molybdenite chips. What would happen if we combined the two? If EPFL's experimental flash memory is any clue, we might get one of the better blends since chocolate met peanut butter. The chip uses graphene's high conductivity for the memory itself, as well as for electrodes, but stuffs molybdenite in between to rapidly switch electrical states (such as what you'd see in write commands) while using little power. The hybrid is theoretically both faster and more power-efficient than conventional silicon designs, but that's just the start: the extra-thin nature of either material is better-suited to flexible electronics on top of shrinking the chip footprint. If there's anything at this stage that would sour EPFL's dreams of a storage utopia, it's time. There's no immediate mention of commercialization plans for the mutant memory, which could leave us stuck on silicon for awhile.
First molybdenite IC delivers silicon-crushing, chip-shrinking, graphene-blasting action
Never heard of molybdenite? We're not shocked. Its not nearly as hyped as graphene or quantum dots, but it could be the key to smaller, bendable microchips. The problem with silicon is that, in layers less than two nanometers thick, it can become unstable, oxidize and quickly deteriorate. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), on the other hand, can be laid down in sheets just three atoms thick. The semiconductor also earns bonus points for being an abundant, naturally occurring mineral. Earlier this year researchers at the Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures (LANES) demoed the first molybdenite transistor, but the team is moving fast and has already whipped up the first prototype of a complete integrated circuit (we assume with the aid of an all girl army of Kung Fu engineers). Things are looking good for this potential silicon usurper. And best of all, molybdenite is flexible. So, hello bendable computers!
