Graphene: A Thin Material with Big Potential for Electronics and Aerospace

Around two decades after it was first isolated, graphene - a thin flake of ordinary carbon, just one atom thick – could revolutionise everything from materials science to quantum physics. Graphene is 100 times stronger than steel, more conductive than copper and transparent yet so dense that not even helium, the smallest gas atom, can pass through it. Ever since physics laureates Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov extracted the graphene from a piece of graphite - found in ordinary pencils - the race has been on to manufacture it in large enough quantities for applications in aerospace, consumer electronics, quantum physics and beyond. Progress is now being made. The wonder material is expected to accelerate the production of new consumer electronics that consume less energy. Due to its transparent and conductive properties, graphene could be used to make coatings for touch-screen displays and enable rollable e-paper, while electrodes made from the material or entirely new battery chemistries based on it, could increase charging speeds for phones and electric vehicles. It is also hoped the conductive material could be used to maintain the march of progress in the chip and electronics industry by using it to make ever smaller transistors. Scientists have already demonstrated a graphene transistor gate roughly the size of a single carbon atom. Aerospace engineers swiftly grasped the potential of graphene and while carbon fibre has enabled planes to become faster, greener and cheaper, incorporating graphene into existing materials to replace steel frames, for example, could improve performance again. Learn more about the laureates who discovered graphene: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/er473iTG Credit @nobelprize