Graphene gets ‘molecule’ rival
abu dhabi — A young Emirati and a UAE-based American nuclear chemist have developed what they claim is “the next big thing in technology.”
Mohammed Al Fahim, 29, and 65-year-old Dr Lary A Burchfield, both working for the Nawah Energy Corporation, insist their theory of combining graphite with diamond has led to the discovery of a new molecule that acts like a semi-conductor.
“Building a computer out of this will make the machine a million times more powerful. Hence the discovery has the potential to change human lives,” said Dr Burchfield, head of environmental radiochemistry lab, at Nawah.
He said that the molecule itself contains the tiniest switch (semiconductor) known to man. “I don’t believe there was ever a molecule out there that could act as a switch, so this is truly a revolution in technology,” added Dr Burchfield.
The team said their invention would help develop better batteries, semi-conductors and better
solar power. “Five to 10 per cent of all electricity is used on the internet, and a lot of that is on data centres, but this invention will save energy,” said Al Fahim who is the head of corrective action programme at Nawah.
He said it all began when the duo recently invented a brand new class of carbon allotropes, called ‘Novamene’ that Al Fahim claims can rival graphene as the next wonder material for use in technology and energy.
Graphene is a carbon allotrope and is the thinnest compound known to man. It is the best conductor of heat and electricity and hence is widely used in electronic applications.
The last inventors in the field were Sir Andre Geim and Sir Konstantin Novoselov, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for their work in graphene, and were even awarded the Knight Bachelor.
Dr Burchfield noted that the good old-fashioned diamond that many are familiar with has the same element carbon as graphite; thus the team came up with a new classification that resides on the concept of combining hexagonal diamond and ring carbon.
“No one thought you could combine graphite with diamond, but it was like a vault of lightening that struck us,” said the American scientist who came to the UAE in 2013.
Al Fahim’s younger brother Rashed who works for Miral Asset Management was also part of the invention.
To put their theory to test, the
No one thought you could combine graphite with diamond, but it was like a vault of lightening that struck us.” Dr Burchfield, American scientist
team purchased a molecule model kit from Amazon for Dh6,000.
“We met with a professor from New York University of Abu Dhabi and showed him what we came up with. He was in absolute awe,” said Al Fahim.
Dr Burchfield and Al Fahim said the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington has confirmed the theory.
“When we approached Prof. Nikola Manini from the University of Milan to get published in the scientific journal, he said something that all scientists want to hear: “How on Earth did you come up with this!,” said Burchfield.
According to him “it is not a stretch to say that this is the most crucial Emirati scientific discovery of all time.”
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com