Graphene may not be the only game in town when it comes to two-dimensional supermaterials. Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have fabricated titanium trisulfide, which has something graphene doesn't: the ability to turn off its conductivity.

Chemistry professor Xiao Zeng created a computer simulation that proved it was possible, while colleague Alexander Sinitskii built the material itself. What they discovered is a material that, unlike graphene, can be used for logic devices. That is, it can transmit in binary with what Sinitskii says is a similar electronic bandgap to silicon.

"Graphene is very conductive, but crucially lacks the quality that can turn it off: a band gap, which describes the energy necessary for electrons to jump from their near orbits around atoms to an outer conduction band that promotes conductivity," Sinitskii says.

Making titanium trisulfide is a lot like making graphene: It works by fabricating the material crystal by crystal and binding it via adhesive tape. According to Sinitskii, the ultimate product is "very pure," built in flakes from a series of single crystals. The crystals are long, thin, needle-like structures made purely from the reaction of titanium and sulfur. Its weaker binding strength compared to graphene makes it easier to stack separable layers of titanium trisulfide without muddying the overall abilities.

However, these features come at a cost. Graphene, while still relatively expensive to make, it much less costly than this new material. While titanium trisulfide could provide a big boon for photovoltaic technologies and computing devices, it probably won't be as good as graphene for radio-controlled devices, composites, and transparent materials.

Even so, Sinitskii and Zeng's research shows that perhaps graphene is just one of many atom-thick conductive materials we'll be using in the future.