Just add go-faster stripes (Image: David Scharf/SPL)
A “RACETRACK” capable of shuttling electrons around at high speed has set a new record for silicon chips, the cornerstone of computing.
Electrical resistance imposes a strict speed limit on electrons travelling through silicon. To break this limit, computer scientists are considering replacing silicon with carbon, as atom-thick sheets of carbon, or graphene, conduct electricity better than any other substance at room temperature.
Graphene owes this property to an unusual interaction between its hexagonal lattice structure and the electronic structure of its atoms. This effectively brings the mass of its free electrons down…
