A team of local scientists says it has discovered the electronic structure of graphene, which is considered a next-generation material that could replace silicon.

The team led by Seoul National University Professor Kook Yang and Dr. Song Young-jae at the National Institute of Standards and Technology said their team has published its recent finding in the scientific journal “Nature.”

First discovered in 2004, graphene is a flat one-atom-thick sheet of carbon.

Using a special microscope made by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the team of scientists found that graphene has an electronic structure with four levels.

By studying the structure, the team said it has proven that high-speed elements can be created using graphene with relatively little heat loss.