Wonder Material: Everything You Should Know About Graphene

Posted by Rob A on July 22nd, 2019

Graphene material suppliers are producing something that's very strong, ultrathin, almost weightless, and highly conductible; but this product is relatively new. That's why constant research is needed about it before it can hit the market to be used for a variety of purposes.

As of now, graphene has a lot of potential applications in different fields. Here are some things you need to know about this innovative technology:

Discovery

It was in 2004 when physicists Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, along with several researchers from the University of Manchester, first isolated graphene. They won a Nobel Prize in 2010 for their huge contribution and for developing a process that didn't require any large investment or complex equipment to execute.

Their process is called the micromechanical cleavage technique. Although it sounds complicated, it only uses sticky tape to extract the material, which was later dubbed as the "scotch tape method." It's so simple yet effective that graphene suppliers still use it today.

Properties

Simply put, it's one of the most versatile materials available. The first reason is it offers unparalleled strength. Researchers estimate that it's about 200 times stronger than steel. A single, paper-thin layer of it is tough enough to hold the weight of a full-grown elephant.

It's also incredibly lightweight. A sheet of graphene that's big enough to cover an entire football field weighs less than a quarter of an ounce. That's because this material is as thin as a single carbon atom. In fact, researchers consider it 2-dimensional. The only reason it's visible to the naked eye is that it's stretched to considerable sizes.

Aside from those two characteristics, this material is also touted as one of the best conductors of electricity. Its composition allows for a more efficient travel of electrons, compared to silver, silicon, copper, and other metals.

Future Applications

The combination of its super strength and weightlessness offers a wide range of potential applications in the future. It can be useful in anything that needs to be strong but light. Planes, cars, trains, even military vehicles are among the many examples. Making them less heavy by substituting their bodies' metal with this material may result in a more efficient movement and less fuel consumption.

On the other hand, its high conductibility opens doors for revolutionary electronic devices. Soon, phones and other handheld devices may become smaller and compact while being faster than ever. They may even use graphene-enhanced batteries that last longer than the lithium ones.

In the future, graphene material suppliers will play a huge role in manufacturing it in large quantities. But for them to do that, they need to refine and revolutionize the scotch tape method. Doing so may expand the possibilities of mass producing it and making it more accessible to more people.