New form of carbon tantalises with prospects for
electronics

A newly created form of carbon in a mesh just one atom
thick is tantalizing scientists with hints that it could sharply
improve rechargeable batteries and allow wires so small that they
can operate at a scale where metals fail. The material, known as
biphenylene network, is highly conductive and may prove able to
store more electrical energy than even graphene, the
atomic-thickness carbon honeycomb material identified nearly 20
years ago.