Communications of the ACM
One-Molecule-Thick Material Has Big Advantages
Diagram shows the flat-sheet structure of the material used by the MIT team, molybdenum disulfide. Molybdenum atoms are shown in teal, and sulfur atoms in yellow.
Credit: Wang et al.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have developed a method for using molybdenum disulfide to make a variety of electronic components.
The researchers say the material could help revolutionize how electronics are built. "It's opening up the door to a completely new domain of electronic materials and devices," says MIT professor Tomas Palacios.
Graphene needs to be modified in specific ways to create a bandgap, while molybdenum disulfide naturally comes with a bandgap. Since graphene does not have a natural bandgap, a switch made of graphene can be turned on but it cannot be turned off, which prevents the operation of digital logic, notes MIT researcher Han Wang.
However, molybdenum disulfide does not have this limitation. One potential application for the material is large-screen displays such as TV sets and computer monitors, in which a separate transistor controls each pixel of the display. The material is so thin that it is completely transparent, and it can be deposited onto almost any other material. Wang and Palacios say the production of the material can be scaled up for practical use because it is already widely manufactured as a lubricant.
From MIT News
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