graphene

Graphene research yields Nobel Prize in physics

Two researchers received the Nobel Prize in physics today for their work on graphene, a super-thin sheet of carbon atoms that has unusual and potentially useful properties.

Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, currently professors at the University of Manchester, won the top physics prize for their work on isolating graphene from graphite--a more ordinary form of carbon used in pencils--and characterizing its behavior.

Graphene holds potential for profoundly transforming materials science--everything from computer chips and flexible displays to solar cells and lighter aircraft. Such products aren't on the verge of hitting store shelves, but the research is active--for example, … Read more

Graphene: Hot new material for cooling gadgets?

Smaller, faster gadgets may be cool, but keeping them from getting too hot poses challenges.

Consumer electronics, of course, contain many sources of heat, including interconnecting wiring and millions of transistors. In the past, bigger and bigger fans have been employed to keep chips from overheating, thus expanding a gadget's lifespan. But as electronics continue to shrink, so does the space where fans can be placed.

Enter graphene, a sheet of densely arranged carbon that's just a single atom thick and boasts strong heat-conducting properties. Researchers at UC Riverside's Nano-Device Laboratory have discovered a way to layer … Read more

IBM hits graphene transistor breakthrough

IBM Research on Friday announced that it has demonstrated a radio-frequency graphene transistor with the highest frequency so far: 100GHz.

Graphene is a special form of graphite, consisting of a layer of carbon atoms packed in honeycomb lattice. In a nutshell, graphene is like "atomic scale chicken wire." Graphene's properties could lead to faster transistors.

IBM's paper, which is being published in Science, details how the latest graphene breakthrough could enable new communications devices and electronics. The paper was penned by Phaedon Avouris, IBM Fellow and manager of the company's nanometer-scale science and technology research … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 939: Blue Brain and buckyballs

While Twitter has announced a sort of a business plan, President Obama is ripping off Digg for an Internet town hall meeting, and Windows 7 may be getting a release candidate in May, we really don't care. Because we have some hardcore physics stories about buckyballs and hardware neuron simulators.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 939

Twitter to be a freemium service http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-confirms-paid-pro-accounts-on-the-way-2009-3

AT&T exec: ISP will never terminate service on RIAA’s word http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10204514-93.html

Windows 7 Release Candidate coming in May http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7965513.stm… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 891: Jazz hands and a testosterone venti

Leo Laporte joins the cast today to discuss, of course, Steve Jobs' medical leave of absence, the problem with filters (yes, it's the problem you think it is), the future of bendy gadgets, and how to dance like Bollywood. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 891

Apple: Jobs to Take Medical Leave of Absence http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/01/14/apple-jobs-to-take-medical-leave-of-absence/

Analysts: he probably won’t come back http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/why-jobs-isnt-c.html

In the interim, who’s leading Apple? http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10143030-37.html

PC shipments up just 1.1 … Read more