Introduction to Graphene
…my consuming interest
Why be interested in graphene?
Who wouldn’t want to be interested in this, it is going to be revolutionary.
A new material, isolated in 2004, it is the strongest material ever measured, transparent, flexible, conducts electricity and heat better than copper and has the highest melting point. The uses for this stuff will be endless.
Now is a good time to be interested too. Graphene is starting to come out of the laboratory and find practical real-world applications.
It is already being used to give elite sports competitors and edge with graphene enhanced running shoes, rubber tyres for bikes that grip better and give faster lap times. Graphene is even making a discreet involvement in racing cars where it can make carbon fibre components stronger and lighter.
Graphene inks are being used to create electrically conductive patterns on textiles and other flexible materials; the smart clothing of the future will contain graphene.
Expect to hear of graphene in construction. It makes concrete stronger, It can even make concrete electrically conductive giving us roads and floors with built in heating and no wiring that can fail.
Graphene has a sister material, graphene oxide. The latest research shows that human cells can grow over graphene oxide scaffolds. This opens up the possibility to make new parts for our bodies. Even more exciting is the discovery that human nerve cells will regrow along guides made from graphene oxide.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg, see what I mean? Who wouldn’t want to be interested in graphene?
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Industrially manufactured multi-layered large-scale sheet graphene samples have been received by the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC)
In the last entry, I mentioned that a graphene manufacturer had been in touch. That manufacturer was General Graphene, based in Knoxville Tennessee, USA. Right now, General Graphene is one of only two companies in the world that has demonstrated the ability to manufacture polycrystalline sheet graphene at industrial scale, separate the graphene and layer
What would a space elevator tether made from 2D materials look like? – Part Two: A tale of two tethers
In the previous post, I made a prediction that a Space Elevator tether created from multi-layered single crystal graphene would look metallic and probably mirror-like. A graphene manufacturer has been in touch. They are one of the few companies in the world that can make polycrystalline sheet graphene and layer it up. They told me
What would a space elevator tether made from 2D materials look like?
At the time of writing there are three potential materials that are light enough and strong enough to make the tether for the space elevator. Carbon nanotubes, Graphene and hexagonal Boron Nitride. So, to answer the question posed at the start, a space elevator tether would look like a glittering sliver mirror ascending into the
Graphene dough and graphenic glass
We are finding out how useful graphene and graphene oxide powders can be. Right now in 2019 graphene is being used to make quieter cars, ‘greener’ concrete and stronger industrial plastics. The graphene in these products is nanoplate graphene made from graphite. Manufacturing companies understand how to make graphene as powders and dispersions. However, handling these
Latest data shows astonishing rate of progress in the field of graphene
Our work editing the Nixene Journal means we keep track of developments in the world of graphene every month. Compiling and curating the articles provides a viewpoint that a small number of us share. We are publishing volume three this year and when I stop to reflect, I am amazed at the pace of developments
A new method for making graphene: Interfacial Chemical Synthesis
A new breakthrough in making graphene has been created by Professor Aldo Zarbin and his team at the Universidade Federal do Paraná in Brazil. The Royal Society of Chemistry published this work, you can find out the details at this hyperlink. As well as being an entirely new method for making graphene, this process seems to be