Breakthrough in graphene research: Large, stable pieces of graphene produced with unique edge pattern

Bay, fjord, cove, armchair and zigzag—chemists use terms such as these to describe the shapes taken by the edges of nanographene. Graphene consists of a single-layered carbon structure in which each carbon atom is surrounded by three others. This creates a pattern reminiscent of a honeycomb, with atoms in each of the corners. Nanographene is a promising candidate to bring microelectronics down to the nano-scale and a likely substitute for silicon.