Graphene boasts some very special characteristics - it is extremely tear-resistant, an excellent thermal conductor, and reconciles such conflicting qualities as brittleness and ductility. In addition, graphene is impermeable to gases, which makes it interesting for applications involving air-tight membranes. Because of its unusual electronic properties, graphene is viewed as a possible substitute material for silicon in semiconductor technologies. By inserting holes of a specific size and distribution into graphene sheets, it should be possible to impart the material particular electronic characteristics. Two-dimensional carbon layers, so-called graphenes, are regarded as a possible substitute for silicon in the semiconductor industry. The electronic properties of these layers can be varied by "building in" specific arrays of holes in their structure. Physicists at Empa, Switzerland, together with chemists from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany, have, for the first time, succeeded in synthesizing a graphene-like porous polymer with atomic accuracy. The team has, for the first time succeeded in synthesizing a graphene-like polymer with well defined pores. To achieve this, the researchers allowed chemical building blocks of functionalized phenyl rings to “grow” spontaneously into a two-dimensional structure on a silver substrate. This created a porous form of graphene with pore diameters of a single atom and pore-to-pore spacings of less than a nanometer. Until now, porous graphene has been manufactured using lithographic processes during which the holes are subsequently etched into the layer of material. These holes are, however, much larger than just a few atoms in diameter. They are also not as near to each other, and significantly less precisely shaped, as with the "bottom-up" technique based on molecular self-assembly developed by the group. In this process the molecular building blocks join together spontaneously at chemically defined linking points to form a regular, two-dimensional network. This allows graphene-like polymers to be synthesized with pores which are finer than is possible by any other technique. A collaborative research project has brought the world a step closer to producing a new material on which future nanotechnology could be based. Researchers across Europe have demonstrated how graphene could hold the key to the future of high-speed electronics. The researchers have, for the first time, produced graphene to a size and quality where it can be practically developed, and successfully measured its electrical characteristics. The sample was grown epitaxially by removing all silicon atoms in a controlled way from a single surface layer of silicon carbide and allowing the remaining carbon to form the nearly ideal graphene monolayer. The next step was to use standard microfabrication techniques, such as the electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching, to produce devices ranging in lateral size from a few micrometers (1 micrometer = 0.001 mm) to hundreds of micrometers and still only one carbon atom thick. All devices measured so far showed the desired electronic characteristics. These significant breakthroughs overcome two of the biggest barriers to scaling up the technology. Graphene is a relatively new form of carbon made up of a single layer of atoms arranged in a honeycomb shaped lattice. Graphene transistors can potentially run at faster speeds and cope with higher temperatures. Graphene could be the solution to ensuring computing technology to continue to grow in power whilst shrinking in size, extending the life of Moore's law by many years. Graphene also has potential for exciting new innovations such as touchscreen technology, LCD displays and solar cells due to its unparalleled strength, transparency, conductivity. This project saw researchers, for the first time, produce and successfully operate a large number of electronic devices from a sizable area of graphene layers (approximately 50 mm2). The graphene sample, was produced epitaxially -- a process of growing one crystal layer on another, on silicon carbide. Having such a significant sample not only proves that it can be done in a practical, scalable way, but also allowed the scientists to better understand important properties. The second key breakthrough of the project was measuring graphene's electrical characteristics with unprecedented precision, paving the way for convenient and accurate standards to be established. For products such as transistors in computers to work effectively and be commercially viable, manufacturers must be able to make such measurements with incredible accuracy against an agreed international standard. The research team hopes to demonstrate even more precise measurement, as well as accurate measurement at even higher temperatures. They are currently seeking EU funding to drive this forward. The research was a joint project carried by the National Physical Laboratory; Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden; Politecnico di Milano; Linköping University, Sweden and Lancaster University. Measurement was carried out by the Quantum Detection Group at the UK's at the National Physical Laboratory