Graphene could power high-speed electronics

London: Revealing the potential of graphene to be used in high-speed electronics and bio-sensors, a new study has found that electrical signals transmitted at high frequencies lose none of their energy when passed through the 'wonder material'.

Discovered in 2004, graphene - which measures just an atom in thickness and is around 100 times stronger than steel -- has been identified as having a range of potential uses across the engineering and health sectors.

"An accurate understanding of the electromagnetic properties of graphene over a broad range of frequencies (from direct current to over 10 GHz) has been an important quest for several groups around the world,” said principal investigator in the study Shakil Awan from Plymouth University in England.

"Our results for the first time not only confirm the theoretical properties of graphene but also open up many new applications of the material in high-speed electronics and bio-sensing," Awan noted.

The results of the study, published in the journal 2D Materials, are now being exploited in developing high-speed and efficient low noise amplifiers, mixers, radiation detectors and novel bio-sensors, the researchers said.

Graphene outperforms any other known material, including superconductors, when carrying high-frequency electrical signals compared to direct current, essentially transmitting signals without any additional energy loss, the findings showed.

And since graphene lacks band-gap, which allows electrical signals to be switched on and off using silicon in digital electronics, it seems most applicable for applications ranging from next generation high-speed transistors and amplifiers for mobile phones and satellite communications to ultra-sensitive biological sensors, the researchers said.