Lasers could produce much sought-after band gaps in graphene

One of the most often-cited features of graphene – the two-dimensional crystal lattice made of carbon – is its unique electronic properties. Many of these electronic properties make graphene attractive as a material for carbon-based electronics. But also among these properties is that graphene is a gapless semiconductor. As physicist Luis Foa Torres explains, the fact that graphene does not have a band gap is its Achilles’ heel, which makes it difficult to be incorporated into electronic devices.