What is Graphene and History to Date?

Coal and Related Carbon Resources / Lignite, Graphite, Graphene, & Carbon Uses

Date posted: 05/09/17

Jocelyn Aspa reports that graphene is widely regarded as the wonder material of the 21st century. The 2D material was first produced in 2004, when two professors at the University of Manchester used Scotch tape to peel flakes of graphene off a chunk of graphite. The material is a crystalline allotrope of carbon, a characteristic it shares with diamonds and graphite. Put simply, all three are made up of carbon atoms that are bonded together in different ways. For instance, graphite consists of carbon atoms bonded together in sheets of a hexagonal lattice, while graphene is made up of a single sheet of graphite. Of course, simply knowing about the graphene composition does not explain why it has such potential. To give investors a better idea of the promise it holds, in terms of both applications and profit potential, the Investing News Network has put together a brief overview on graphene basics, including production, uses and its future. Together, they answer the question, what is graphene? Graphene can be grown on silicon carbide and other substrates via chemical vapor deposition. In addition to that, graphene flakes can be created when natural graphite is placed in a solution. Direct chemical synthesis can also be used to make small graphene structures with well-defined geometries, states the Graphene Flagship. New methods of graphene production could be changing the pace in which the material is produced. According to the University of Exeter, engineers its Center for Graphene Science have ben working on a less expensive method of production. The new method looks to combine a few of the steps that may be transferred directly to things like plastics or textiles. This enables the creation of graphene-based devices in their entirety prior to any transfer processes, simplifying significantly the device fabrication process and potentially opening the route to the use of a range of target substrates. For I2M Portal History ... see: http://bit.ly/2plskCB