Interest in the field started with the discovery of graphene, a structural variant of carbon. Carbon atoms in graphene form a hexagonal two-dimensional lattice, and this atom-thick layer has attracted attention due to its high electrical and thermal conductivity, mechanical flexibility and very high tensile strength. Graphene is the strongest material ever tested.
In 2010, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for their “groundbreaking experiments” in graphene research.
Graphnene may have started this 2D revolution in electronics, but silicene, phosphorene and stanene, atom-thick allotropes of silicon, phosphorus and tin, respectively, have a similar honeycomb structure with different properties, resulting in different applications.
All four have the potential to change electronics as we know it, allowing for miniaturization, higher performance and cost reduction. Several companies around the globe, including Samsung and Apple, are developing applications based on graphene.
