I realize that the hottest things in chemistry research generally don’t light up the hit parade here at LGF. However some developments occurring now honestly will revolutionize this world and the world of our children and grandchildren.

In the past couple of years researchers have discovered a new form of carbon called graphene. This consists of a single layer of carbon. Since the hell has been studied out of carbon that fact that a new form was only recently discovered is remarkable indeed. And in fact the first researchers literally scribbled on paper with pencils and used scotch tape to create these single layers.

Graphene can be a semi-conductor. So the new big breakthrough which the world of chemistry has been anxiously awaiting is the ability to lithograph the graphene….to be able to write on it. Rice University is the first to publish in this area. They have inscribed a small owl on a sheet of graphene. For those in the know, Rice University’s mascot is the Owl. Read about it here but I absolutely am certain that this is going to profoundly change our lives some day.

Single Atom Lithography in Graphene