Transforming the capabilities of electronics

A sheet of graphene "one carbon atom thick" has unique physical properties that can transform a passive device into one that can produce and interact with microwave frequencies.  

New research by Columbia Engineering demonstrates remarkable optical nonlinear behavior of graphene that may lead to broad applications in optical interconnects and low-power photonic integrated circuits. With the placement of a sheet of graphene just one-carbon-atom-thick, the researchers transformed the originally passive device into an active one that generated microwave photonic signals and performed parametric wavelength conversion at telecommunication wavelengths.

SOURCE:  http://www.pddnet.com/news-graphene-leads-to-a-new-paradigm-for-low-power-telecommunications-071612/