These days graphene is the rock star of materials science, but
it has an Achilles heel: It is exceptionally sensitive to its
electrical environment. This single-atom-thick honeycomb of
carbon atoms is lighter than aluminum, stronger than steel and
conducts heat and electricity better than copper. As a result,
scientists around the world are trying to turn it into better
computer displays, solar panels, touch screens, integrated
circuits and biomedical sensors, among other possible
applications. However, it has proven extremely difficult to
reliably create graphene-based devices that live up to its
electrical potential when operating at room temperature and
pressure. Now, writing in the Mar. 13 issue of the journal
Nature Communications, a team of Vanderbilt physicists reports
that they have nailed down the source of the interference
inhibiting the rapid flow of electrons through graphene-based
devices and found a way to suppress it. This allowed them to
achieve record-levels of room-temperature electron mobil