MEPhI Researchers Develop Material for Ultrafast Chips and AI-Enabled Cyborg Insects
Researchers at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI have investigated the properties of diamane, a two-dimensional carbon material that can function as both an electrical insulator and a conductor. One of its most promising features is its compatibility with living tissue, which could eventually enable the development of cyborg insects equipped with sensors and AI components.
When heated above a critical temperature, hydrogen atoms leave the diamane structure, causing those regions of the material to transform into electrically conductive graphene. This makes it possible to create conducting and insulating regions on the same material at the nanometer scale, providing a foundation for "printing" microelectronic circuits.
Because carbon is the foundation of organic life, carbon-based microelectronics is inherently compatible with living organisms. According to the researchers, this opens a path toward cyborg insects equipped with embedded sensors and AI components for search-and-rescue operations and environmental monitoring.
