WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

Graphene, a material with remarkable electrical and thermal properties, can now be made in small batches, using a common kitchen blender.

The substance is composed of sheets of carbon atoms, just one atom thick. The material could revolutionize the world of electronics through its unique properties, including flexibility.

The “lead” in pencils is actually made with graphite, which is composed of sheets of graphene, piled together. When a person writes, this graphene rubs off on the paper, leaving a mark. It is possible to create a single layer of graphene using just a pencil and adhesive tape. The Nobel Prize in Physics went to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for this discovery.

The prize committee wrote, “As a conductor of electricity [graphene] performs as well as copper. As a conductor of heat it outperforms all other known materials. It is almost completely transparent, yet so dense that not even helium, the smallest gas atom, can pass through it.” (1)

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin discovered the material can be produced in a blender, using just graphite, water and dish soap. The exact proportions of the ingredients depend on the purity of the materials used.

Another challenge confronting would-be home producers is separating the graphene from other materials in the resulting sludge.

On the industrial scale, however, purification would be possible. This process could drastically lower the cost of graphene. This could make advances like flexible video screens and advanced batteries far more affordable than they would have been using current techniques.

By adding just a small amount of graphene to polyester, the strength of the material was increased by up to 50 percent. The material can also be added to plastics, greatly adding to the strength of the materials.

In the article announcing the discovery, researchers wrote, “The graphene produced by this method performs well in applications from composites to conductive coatings.” (2)

The real advance of the new production method may be making graphene so inexpensive that it can be widely used in university experiments. New applications for graphene may soon be developed that few people can now imagine.