Graphene is a one-atom-thick super material with many unusual properties that scientists and manufacturers from all over the world are excited about.
So what is Graphene?
Well, Graphene is composed of a single layer of carbon atoms (One Atom Thick) that have bonded in a hexagonal pattern. It is a million times thinner than paper and two hundred times stronger than steel.
Graphene is Carbon a very useful element that can be used to produce from soft graphite to hard diamonds, depending on the arrangement of the atoms. Because of Graphene’s honeycomb pattern, it has unique properties such as being the strongest material in the world.
It Was In The 1940s
When scientists began studying the theory behind Graphene, during that time, scientists thought that it was impossible for a two dimensional material to exist, And that’s why they didn’t continue their research in isolating the material. Then a couple of decades later, interest picked up and some researchers thought of ways to separate the Graphene from Graphite. They managed to isolate Graphene together with other materials but not alone.
Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov
It Was In 2002 When Andre Geim
A researcher from the University of Manchester became interested in the material. He worked on an approach that peeled off flakes of Graphene out of graphite. His goal was to have 10 to 100 layers of Graphene. Geim’s team have refined their method until they managed to produce a single layer of Graphene. They published their study in the October 2004 edition of Science journal. In 2010, Geim and his colleague Kostya Novoselov were given the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on Graphene.
What Is Graphene Used For?
In the near future, Graphene will be used in various consumer products. This is due to the present research into carbon nanotubes. You might be wondering how Graphene is related to carbon nanotubes. Well, Carbon nanotubes are cylindrical versions of Graphene that are known to have incredible physical qualities that are similar to Graphene.
But it is much easier to create Graphene sheets instead of carbon nanotubes. That’s why most planned, and current applications for carbon nanotubes are now being shifted towards Graphene. Some of the applications of Graphene include solar cells, Transistors and transparent screens.
Transparent screen
“What Is Graphene ?”
Is a question that a lot of people are searching for an answer because of the things they hear about the super material. The research is still in an infantile phase compared to ITO and silicon but there it has lots of applications in different fields and industries.
There are still lots of research to be done to improve the material’s conductivity and transparency. At present, Graphene is a bit expensive, and this is one of the reasons why manufacturers are staying away from the material, despite the benefits they can get from it.