Rice University scientists have discovered that a widely used electronic part called a solenoid could be scaled down to nano-size with macro-scale performance.The secret: a spiral form of atom-thin graphene that, remarkably, can be found in nature, even in common coal.The researchers determined that when a voltage is applied to such a “nano-coil,” current will flow around the helical path and produce a magnetic field, as it does in macroscale solenoids.
Graphene nano-coils discovered
![Rice University scientists have discovered that a widely used electronic part called a solenoid could be scaled down to nano-size with macro-scale performance.The secret: a spiral form of atom-thin graphene that, remarkably, can be found in nature, even in common coal.The researchers determined that when a voltage is applied to such a “nano-coil,” current will flow around the helical path and produce a magnetic field, as it does in macroscale solenoids.](https://youngmindsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Graphene-nano-coils-discovered.jpg)