Molybdenite naturally has a band gap suitable for use in electronics

... molybdenite has a crucial advantage, says Kis. "The nice thing about our material is that sometimes it can conduct current, sometimes it doesn't."

To do the job of silicon in electronics, a material needs to be able to flip between conducting and nonconducting to signal digital 1s and 0s, something made possible by an electronic property known as a "band gap." Molybdenite naturally has a band gap suitable for use in electronics, while graphene does not.