Stanene - Conductor with 100% Efficiency

Stanene (from the Latin stannum meaning tin, which also gives the element its chemical symbol, Sn), is the latest cousin of graphene, the lattice of carbon atoms that has spurred thousands of studies into related 2D materials. Those include sheets of silicene, made from silicon atoms; phosphorene, made from phosphorus; germanene, from germanium; and thin stacks of sheets that combine different kinds of chemical elements. Stanene could be the world’s first electrical conductor with 100% efficiency, which would make it more conductive than graphene. The material has not yet been mass-produced.

Scientists have been working on the concept of electrical conductivity without losses for several years, but most of the systems operate only under extreme conditions, either strong magnetic fields or very low temperatures such as with superconductors. Stanene conducts electricity only through their surfaces or edges and not through their interiors. These structures are a single atom thick, and the electrons and nuclei of heavy atoms in the structures exhibit complex interactions, allowing them to conduct electricity with 100% efficiency.

Stanene was discovered by researchers from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University and could revolutionize computing by replacing the copper wires still used in modern computer chips.

Stanene was theoretically predicted to be a 2D topological insulator in 2011, and its functionalized derivations as topological insulators were predicted in 2013. Both may display dissipationless superconductive currents at their edges near room temperature. The addition of fluorine atoms to the tin lattice could extend the operating temperature up to 100 °C. This would make it practical for use in integrated circuits to make smaller, faster and more energy efficient computers.

According to the research, the significance of topological insulators is that they drive electrons along a defined path without any resistance. Previously, the research determined that mercury telluride and combinations of tellurium, selenium, antimony and bismuth are topological insulators. However, none of them proved to be a good electric conductor at room temperature. The results showed that tin is a perfect electric conductor at and even above room temperature. Also, the researchers claimed that the efficiency of tin could be extended up to 100°C with the addition of fluorine atoms to tin.

It could first be used to connect various and sundry areas of a microprocessor. Conductivity would still be limited where the stanene leaves off and conventional microprocessor circuitry is reached, but there would still be an appreciable savings in power and a reduction in heat.

Stanene is what is known as a ‘topological insulator’, meaning its interior is an insulator but it conducts electrons along its surface. By making the material only a single atom thick, the stanene is essentially all surface, allowing it to conduct electricity with 100 per cent efficiency.

By adding fluorine atoms to the mix, the scientist claim they can retain this level of efficiency at temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius, allowing the material to be used in computers, where processors typically run at temperatures of between 40 and 90 degrees Celsius.  

However, there are many obstacles standing between stanene and mainstream use (not limited to the difficulties of manufacturing one-atom thick wires on an industrial scale) and without working samples of the material available it is perhaps a little early to get excited.

Researchers stated that one of the first applications of stanene could be wiring systems that link various parts of a microprocessor as the free flow of electrons in the wiring would significantly lower the heat generation and power consumption of microprocessors. They also said that stanene could be potentially used to improve the speed and reduce the power consumption of computer chips in the future.

Moreover, researchers believe that stanene could be used as a replacement for silicon in transistors. Manufacturing challenges, however, include ensuring the deposition of a single layer of tin and maintaining the single layer intact during chip manufacturing processes.

According to recent calculations, a single layer of tin atoms would be an excellent conductor at room temperature. If the tin atoms were bound together with fluoride, however, the material’s operating temperature would increase to 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit).

The discovery of stanene is a significant breakthrough in semiconductor material research. Researchers are waiting for experimental confirmation, but they do believe that the atomically thin, delicate layers of stanene will likely revolutionize the microprocessor industry in the future.

Up until now we've relied on copper to relay electricity in various forms, and for good reason. As well as being cheap and ductile (this means it can be easily drawn into strips) copper is also very conductive.

However, modern computer chips deploy the metal on a scale that would be unimaginable to past generations.At this point scientists are pushing the limits of the material, channelling so much electricity through it that the material's electrical resistance causes the wires to heats, potentially setting it on fire. If stanene fulfils on scientists’ promises, then chips could get smaller and faster without running this risk of overheating. Stanene could increase the speed and lower the power needs of future generations of computer chips, if our prediction is confirmed by experiments that are underway in several laboratories around the world.

As manufacturing processes are perfected and chip designs are refined to take advantage of stanene's properties, however, the still-theoretical material might revolutionize the microprocessor industry. So, what do you think, will be our future with the further discovery of stanene? Will it be able to revolutionize the electrical world? Let me know below in the comment section.