Researchers with the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) created nanoribbons out of a single layer graphene oxide (TNSOG) measuring a minimum of 20 nanometers in width, equivalent to 1/2,500 of a hair, which is 0.05 millimeters in diameter.

The result was published in the world-famous academic journal Nature Communications. Nanotechnology is considered one of the three technologies vital to the world in the future. TNSOG, the thinnest, lightest and strongest material ever found, is believed to be the best candidate for making hyperfine transistors, replacing silicon, owing to its higher electrical conductivity and cooling ability compared to common metal conductors.

However, scientists still face the challenge of how to generate nanoelectronic devices from TNSOG, an indispensable step towards realizing the dream of a carbonic integrated circuit (IC).

In response, two research teams headed by professors Wang Xiaoping and Luo Yi used a platinum-coated atomic force microscope tip to locally catalyze the reduction of insulating graphene oxide in the presence of hydrogen. As a result, nanoribbons with widths ranging from 20 to 80 nanometers were successfully generated, creating a field effect transistor.

（english.anhuinews.com）