A breakthrough at the Australian National University’s School of Chemistry could open a path for further size reductions in some of the world’s smallest electronics.

A team of engineers and researchers have created the Single Layer Capacitor (SLC), a small conductor of energy for electronic devices. It is being hyped for its thermo stability – the ability to stay much cooler than standard Multi-Layer Capacitors.

ANU Research School of Chemistry’s Dr Yun Liu says it will have a big impact on the electronics world.

“You don’t have any electrical fatigue caused by internal electrodes,” she said.

“Also our material has temperature stability, and a lower energy loss, which makes this single layer capacitor very competitive... It’s pretty much made of ceramics and you put in electrodes. It’s very convenient, so it’s a simple process.”

The University is storming ahead after the project’s recent success, pitching the device to some of the world’s largest electronics and ceramic component manufacturers. Neil Radford, from the University’s Technology Transfer Office says it would be an excellent entrance into a multi-billion dollar market.

“We’ve got the lab results, we’ve done very low-level testing and that’s pretty much been successful across the board. We now need to extend that testing, and incorporate the material into a real-world application,” Mr Radford said.

Mr Radford has reportedly made his way to the’ ‘Innovation Marketplace’ in the US; an annual summit where he will meet, mingle and mix with prospective companies interested in new technologies on offer.

The researchers say automotive applications come to mind, among many others, as the product’s thermal properties allow it to operate in a broad range of extreme conditions.

If all goes well the University hopes to get their Single Layer Capacitor on to the market within two years.