A new graphene material capable of conducting heat 20 times faster than silicon could make the next generation of electronic devices quieter and longer-lasting.
The experimental graphene made by U.S. and Chinese researchers has also proven 60 percent more effective at transferring heat than typical graphene — a carbon sheet just one atom thick.
Efficient heat removal would also allow for smaller and more-powerful electronic devices that not only put computing power in everyone’s hands, but also allow for smarter gadgets connected to sensors and the Internet.
The secret to graphene’s success comes from its makeup. Natural carbon is found in concentrations of about 99 percent “carbon 12” and 1 percent “carbon 13,” based on differences in its atomic mass. Researchers removed just one percent of carbon 13 to make it an “isotopically pure” carbon — about 99.99 percent carbon 12.
The specially engineered graphene was heated with a laser beam to test its heat transfer abilities at the University of Texas at Austin.
