Physicists have observed behavior in strained graphene that shows even more promise for the material as a silicon replacement in future electronic devices. University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) researchers say that when graphene is stretched, nanobubbles are formed. The discovery was made after a layer of graphene was grown on a platinum crystal; these structures don’t align, producing strain. They saw the electrons within these nanobubbles behaving as if they were moving in a strong magnetic field. By controlling electrons' energy levels, researchers could control how easily they moved through the graphene. Thus, the electron’s conductivity, optical, or microwave properties could be controlled. This is particularly important for creating electronic devices. Researchers intend to also use the material to observe electron behavior in fields not typically reproduced in the lab. The full results are reported in the 30 July edition of Science. (SlashDot)(University of California Berkeley)