Scientists and engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) have discovered an entirely new carbon-based material that is synthesized from the carbon family of graphene. The discovery, which the researchers are calling graphene monoxide (GMO) pushes carbon materials closer to ushering in next-generation electronics. Transistors made of silicon are approaching the minimum size at which they can be effective, meaning the speed of devices will soon bottom out. GMO exhibits characteristics that will make it easier to scale up than graphene. And, like silicon in the current generation of electronics, GMO is semiconducting, necessary for controlling the electrical current in such a strong conductor as graphene. The team created GMO while conducting research into the behavior of a hybrid nanomaterial engineered by Junhong Chen (professor of mechanical engineering and a member of the research team) that consists of carbon nanotubes nanoparticles.