A joint research team of Korean scientists from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) and Hungarian scientists from the Center of Natural Sciences developed a new way of producing graphene nanoribbons, to be used as a semiconductor element. The graphene nanoribbon is between 2 to 10 nm in size with edge frame form that can be controlled at room temperature. Its production was achieved by using a technology called scanning tunneling lithography (STL), where the scientists succeeded in cutting the shape of the nanoribbon edge as they wished.
In addition, the research team discovered a phase transition phenomenon changing the graphene nanoribbon either to semiconductor or metal depending on increase or decrease in their width, which raised the possibility for its commercialization.