University of Manchester scientists have shown that by adding hydrogen atoms to the surface of graphene, it can be tuned to be conductor, insulator, or anything in between, paving the way for a sheet of graphene to be transformed into a working chip with conductive interconnections and semiconducting transistors simply by changing its chemistry in different areas.

Using a single material could simplify construction and allow near-seamless interconnections between conductors and semiconductors.

The new material — called graphane — is made by exposing a graphene sheet to ionized hydrogen gas for two hours.