
Cambridge spin-out starts producing graphene at commercial scale - airstrike
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-spin-out-starts-producing-graphene-at-commercial-scale
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fernly
Can someone ELI5 why graphene, defined as "a sheet of carbon just one atomic
layer thick", can be sold as a "chip"? Of what use would be a one-atom-thick
"chip"?

Also, "graphene-based chips could deliver speeds more than ten times faster
than silicon chips" \-- wut? The basic reason (I thought) silicon could be
used to make integrated circuits is that it is mostly NON-conductive, but can
be made conductive in part, so as to form e.g. capacitances, insulated
conductors, diodes, etc. But in my ignorance I thought the one thing that
graphene has to be, is conductive, completely conductive in all directions. So
how can you make the various parts of a circuit in a material that is one big
short circuit?

~~~
sandworm101
I think they means the graphine as the conducting wires. Someone probably told
them wires/bands 1-atom thick connecting parts = smaller chips = faster chips.
Id also be interested in what happens in terms of heat. Such small structures
conducting electricity Would graphine parts on a chip get hot enough to
combust?

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swish_bob
Graphene is a better heat conductor as well, so heat ought not to be as big a
concern.

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TeMPOraL
Is their graphene going to be a real graphene? If I read Lowe[0] correctly,
the primary problem in this space is that you can't really buy _actual_
graphene from any of the vendors.

\--

[0] -
[http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2018/10/11/gra...](http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2018/10/11/graphene-
you-dont-get-what-you-pay-for)

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hanniabu
Has there been any research on the health risks? I'm sure graphene dust isn't
great to be breathing in and if we're thinking of using it to improve a good
amount of products and materials I feel this should be studied before that cat
is out of the back. I feel like this will be asbestos all over again except
much, much worse.

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lukevp
The saying is letting the cat out of the bag.

~~~
zimpenfish
And yet lots of people use "cat out of the back". Was suggested in the eggcorn
database forum in 2010 -
[http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4367](http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4367)

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wheaties
So they're producing the basic materials but have concluded there is no long
term business related to supplying graphene wafers. That means there are other
companies already in that race or soon to come out with capital. Exciting
times indeed.

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gibolt
> graphene could increase (sensor) sensitivity by a factor of more than 30

A *factor of 30 would be unreal. Anything more than 2 in the real world would
be amazing.

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strainer
They mean 30 times as sensitive ie. sensing 1/30th as much stuff. That's what
"a factor of n" means btw. Maybe you had in mind "a power of".

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DuskStar
If previous sensors required 300 photons and new ones require 10, that would
be an absolutely incredible achievement. (Scale that to whatever current state
of the art is for camera sensors, of course)

That's what I think of when I hear "30x improvement", at least.

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strainer
Yeh that's the plain meaning. They will be referring to a particular sensor
type. Amazement is no cause to say the claim is "unreal"

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molticrystal
The article says they worked around the copper impurities, but I wonder if
they overcame the silicon impurity issues that cause low performance and
"disappointing results" in most applications.[1] Summary[2][3]

[1]
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07396-3](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07396-3)

[2] [https://phys.org/news/2018-11-full-potential-
supermaterial-g...](https://phys.org/news/2018-11-full-potential-
supermaterial-graphene.html)

[3] [https://www.createdigital.org.au/graphene-performance-
reveal...](https://www.createdigital.org.au/graphene-performance-revealed-
silicon/)

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benzofuran
As a material scientist, I'm reminded of a joke from college which has changed
only a little: What's the only thing graphene (used to be carbon nanotubes)
can't do? A: Leave the lab

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massivecali
As a former Slashdotter, I've seen this joke on every single article about
"nanotubes".

~~~
hkmurakami
As a former nanotube research grad student, I have to wholeheartedly agreee
though.

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DoofusOfDeath
I find the little differences between U.S- and U.K.- English interesting.

In U.S. English, "spin-out" usually refers to an automobile spinning while out
of control, for example when it hits a patch of ice and gets uneven traction.

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m3kw9
What’s the cost vs chip grade silicone waffers? Even if they can, they would
then need commercial scale process to print the electronics, tip of iceberg
right there

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gHosts
No "buy now" button... ie. still vapourware

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whoisjuan
Why? Do you also have the need to buy silicon online?

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skepticManatee
Well, if he's from a research lab that uses graphene I imagine that option
would be useful. As of right now, there are plenty of places to buy
semiconductor wafers of which silicon is the most basic and cheapest (and even
some forms of graphene like aqueous).

