TMD, an experimental material also known as transition metal dichalcogenide, is famed in the science and technology world as a highly conductive, ultra-thin film measuring just three atoms thick. Researchers from Cornell University have recently published what's in the works for this material in the Nature science journal, saying that the harnessing of TMD could be used for anything from solar panels, light detectors, semi-conductors, to wearable gadgets.

Up until now, the challenge occurring in TMD production included high failure and breakage rates because of its three-atom size. That issue is now in the past, as the researchers are set on “pushing TMDs to the technologically relevant scale, showing promise of making devices on that scale”, says Saien Xie, one of the Nature journal's authors. Now, the researchers are able to produce TMD with a 99 percent success rate by using a new method of mixing and baking. An extra perk for TMD would be partnering it up with its brother material, Graphene. Because Graphene can also be produced into the thickness of just a few atoms, the two could be used in developing atom-thin electronics, a.k.a. “paper-thin” devices.

These ultra-thin transistors are about to create a breakthrough in the future generations of electronics, especially when considering one of the biggest challenges today- fitting tech into smaller and smaller devices. Atomically thin circuitry and electronics is still years away, but the innovation is certainly being put to use now.