University of Utah engineers have discovered a 2D semiconducting material that could lead to much faster electronics. The technology potentially allows medical devices, such as electronic implants, to run longer on a single battery charge.

The University of Utah semiconductor is made of the elements tin and oxygen, or tin monoxide (SnO). Electrical charges move through the one-atom-thick coating much faster than conventional 3D materials such as silicon.

The researchers say that transistors created from the semiconducting material could lead to computers and smartphones that are more than 100 times faster than regular devices. Because the electrons move through one layer, instead of bouncing around in a 3D material, the resulting reduced friction will cool the processor and reduce power demands, a boon for mobile electronics that have to run on battery power.

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