A “nanotrampoline” built out of graphene can directly and more sensitively detect radio-frequency signals, paving the way for a new generation of radios, engineers at Columbia University and associates have discovered.

Just stretch a sheet of graphene between two electrodes to form a kind of trampoline and then place a third electrode under the trampoline. Finally, send a DC current through the graphene and then add a radio frequency voltage on top.

Graphene sheets are two orders of magnitude less massive than similar devices made of silicon, so they can measure signals at much higher frequency, up to the GHz range. This technology could radically improve the performance of mobile phones and other radio-frequency devices.

Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1012.4415: Radio Frequency Electrical Transduction of Graphene Mechanical Resonators