You’ve probably heard about graphene before. It’s this new revolutionary material that’s tougher than diamond, more elastic than rubber, a much better conductor than copper, and it can even repair itself.
A perfect hexagonal lattice of graphene. (Image from www.bbc.co.uk)
Yes, graphene is that good.
When I think about the possibilities that lie ahead of graphene, I can’t help but remember that scene in The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft—pretty old film (1967) but go look it up because it’s a classic. Anyway, one of the characters dispenses a neat advice to our clueless hero Benjamin (Hoffman).
Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McGuire: There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?
Benjamin: Yes, I will.
Mr. McGuire: Shh! Enough said. That’s a deal.
That was the roaring ‘60s of course when plastics were still new and really had something going for them. But ask Mr. McGuire now, and he’d have a new endorsement to make: Graphene.
Graphene is actually a form of carbon that’s only a single atom-thick. (Or rather, atom-thin.) Up close it looks like a perfectly arranged lattice of hexagons.
Aside from the uber-wonderful properties mentioned above, perhaps the other striking thing about graphene is its accidental discovery Russian scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were simply toying with Scotch tape, peeling it back and forth over some flakes of carbon graphite to reduce it to its thinnest sheet possible.
Initially, they were investigating on graphite’s potential as a transistor, but what they ended up with happened to be more promising than that. (For their Scotch tape-inspired efforts, Geim and Novoselov took the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.)
Graphene as a Wonder Material
Graphene’s versatility means a wide, almost endless, range of applications, including:
- In the field of electronics, that means faster charging batteries, thin, flexible screens, and better audio performance, etc.
- In medicine, better drug delivery and tissue building.
- Graphene is reportedly 1,000 times sensitive to light as well, which could pave the way for better camera sensors.
As a matter of fact, it is graphene’s super-thinness that allows it to readily combine with a myriad of other atom-thin materials, resulting in a much improved new material.
But let’s look at how graphene can potentially benefit sustainable building.
Graphene as Solar Cells
Graphene could create paper-thin solar cells that can simply be painted over exterior walls and just about any surface. Here, graphene is mixed with monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TDMC) to produce solar cells that can outperform traditional photovoltaic cells.
Graphene as Steel Rust-proofing
Graphene as steel rust-proofing. (Image from www.futurity.org)
Rust-proofing steel has traditionally relied on toxic hexavalent chromium (If you’ll remember, it’s the same chemical compound Julia Roberts was making a fuss about in the film Erin Brokovich.) With graphene in the scene, there’s no carcinogenic compound involved, and steel’s rust-proof quality, even in saltwater conditions, is much improved.
Graphene as a Strength Reinforcer.
Graphene can be combined with composite materials for a more lightweight yet tough and crack-resistant material. The obvious candidates who will benefit this new improved material: aircraft wings and wind turbines.
Of course, when materials become more durable and effective, the less we need to replace them time and again. And that’s ultimately good for the environment.
Still, despite all our awe and amazement at this miracle material, there’s the possibility that graphene is all just hype. Actually, there’s good reason not to jump in joy yet since we’re basically dealing with a relatively new material. So far though, the results of various researches involving graphene have always been spectacular.
Three years since its discovery, graphene is still not the norm in the various industries it was supposed to revolutionize. A big reason for this is the fact that for it to perform well, only high-quality graphene has to be used, and right now that level of quality costs a lot to produce. It might be a decade longer before graphene can be mass-produced in a high-quality way, with all the green standards in check.
As of February 2013, there are more than 7,000 filed patents regarding graphene. China, not unexpectedly is the country with the most patents filed (2,204), followed by the U.S. (1,754).
UPDATE 8.17.2013: A new form of carbon–called carbyne–just might dethrone graphene as being the strongest material known to man.
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