NETL Research Offers New Path for Faster, More Efficient Nanoelectronics Using Coal

NETL researchers are helping pave the way for the next generation of ultra-efficient nanoelectronics by developing a new method to build tiny, powerful components using carbon materials derived from coal.

The research, published recently in Nature Communications , demonstrates how the NETL innovation could one day support better-performing, more energy efficient field effect transistors and logic chips tailored for super intelligence (SI) applications that are important to national competitiveness.

NETL researchers are solving a major problem in modern electronics: creating extremely thin, high-quality insulating layers called dielectrics for use in future computer chips and nano-scale devices. To support the accelerating SI growth, there is an urgent need to develop smaller, faster, and more efficient microelectronic devices.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors represent the ultimate electronic scaling by maintaining performance at atomic thickness. An essential component in these 2D nanoelectronic devices is the dielectric material separating the 2D semiconductor and the gate electrode. Traditional methods struggle to build smooth, uniform and ultrathin dielectric films on emerging two-dimensional materials.

NETL researchers, collaborating with the University of Illinois, found a way through that roadblock by assembling a monolayer of graphene-like carbon dots produced from coal on the surface of those 2D semiconductors. The carbon dots create an ideal platform for growing ultrathin dielectric films that remain smooth, tough, and electrically reliable at extremely small scales.

"This work shows that materials derived from coal can play a real role in the future of electronics," said NETL researcher Congjun Wang, who worked on the project. "By enabling these ultrathin insulating layers, we're helping create the foundation for faster, more efficient devices that will ultimately benefit everyday Americans."

The team demonstrated that their carbon-dot approach can produce dielectric layers with an equivalent oxide thickness of just 0.6 nanometers, meeting and even exceeding targets set by international semiconductor industry roadmaps. Devices built with the NETL-enabled films showed low energy use, high reliability and strong performance, including near-perfect switching characteristics in transistors made from advanced 2D materials.

"These results address a central bottleneck in next-generation electronics," Wang said. "If we want devices that operate at lower voltage, consume less energy, and run faster, we need dielectrics that perform at the atomic scale. Our method provides that path."

The research could support energy-efficient and high-performance 2D materials-based logic chips tailored for SI workloads. It also reinforces NETL's role as a leader in transforming carbon resources into high-value materials that serve emerging technology sectors. The work underscores how federal research can help maintain American leadership as global industries race toward building devices needed to power the future of SI.

"As electronics continue to scale down, these kinds of breakthroughs will be essential," said Christopher Matranga, carbon materials research lead at NETL. "They show how federal research investments can translate into real-world technologies that keep the country competitive."

NETL is a DOE national laboratory dedicated to innovating and accelerating the nation's energy solutions in hydrocarbons, geothermal energy, and critical minerals production. The Lab further strengthens its impact by engaging with industry, academia, and other stakeholders through four strategically located Centers of Excellence: Coal, Critical Minerals & Advanced Alloys, Oil & Gas, and Geothermal. With research sites in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NETL operates as one laboratory to create advanced energy technologies that support DOE's mission and enable affordable, reliable, and secure energy to fuel human prosperity.