Physicists at the University of Sussex, England, are using the nanomaterial graphene, a crystalline form of carbon (the so-called “material of the future”), to create microchips. They will be 100 times smaller than current ones, and faster. According to the authors of the study, published in the scientific journal ACS Nano, it is possible to create a chip through what they called “nano-origami” by folding a sheet of graphene so that it functions as a transistor.

Professor Alan Dalton, from the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sussex, said the discovery could help chipmakers, who are at the limits of what can be done with semiconductors with current technology. “This type of technology, called straintronics, which uses nanomaterials instead of electronic materials, allows more chips to be put into any device. Everything we want to do with computers, like making them faster, can be done by bending graphene in this way,” Professor Dalton said.

Another advantage of the nano-origami chip is the energy cost. According to Dr. Manoj Tripathi, author of the study and a researcher in Nanostructured Materials at the US: “This development is a greener and more sustainable technology. There is no need to add additional materials, and because the process works at room temperature instead of high temperatures, it uses less energy to manufacture.”

The researchers at the University of Sussex did not point to more specific uses for the technology, but it is plausible to imagine it being used to create processors smaller, more efficient and resulting in a smaller carbon footprint. The intriguing question remains as to how these chips could be used in cell phones, smart devices and much more.

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