BBC:
The first computer chip made of molybdenum disulfide has been
tested by Andras Kis of the Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics
and Structures in Lausanne, Switzerland, and colleagues. Known
as molybdenite, MoS
2 is a naturally occurring mineral that's less
reactive than silicon and can therefore be used in thinner
layers to make smaller, more flexible, more energy-efficient
chips. Unlike graphene, another material that can be used in
flexible semiconductors, MoS
2 can amplify electronic signals at room
temperature, whereas graphene has to be cooled to 70 kelvin to
do so. Kis and his colleagues say that despite MoS
2's potential, it could be 20 years before it's
ready for commercial use. They plan to explore the possibility
of making it more conductive in the meantime.
