If you think the diamond is the strongest and hardest material in the world then you are wrong. If you are an avid science reader than you must have come across the hype surrounding the futuristic substance called 'Graphene'. After reading its properties some people even believed that this kind of substance can only exist in comics. Now let's do a more deep dive and explore what actually Graphene is?
If you've ever drawn with a pencil, you've probably made graphene. The world's thinnest material is set to revolutionize almost every part of everyday life.
Graphene is made of carbon and carbon has only two naturally occurring crystalline structures. The differences between the below two substances come down to the arrangement of the atoms in their structure.
- Graphite - it is basically stacks of graphene piled on top of each other.
- Diamond - it is a network of carbon atoms arranged into tetrahedrons one after the other.
Please refer to the below image to understand the structural properties of Graphene.
Graphene is one atom thick and has the capability to conduct electricity better than silver and can conduct heat better than diamond.
Two of the researchers at The University of Manchester Professor Andre Geim and Professor Konstantin Novoselov, have won 2010 Nobel prize for their significant contribution to the field of Physics.
This is a fantastic honour. People have been talking about graphene as a possible prize winner for a number of years so for the community in graphene research it hardly comes as a surprise. - Prof Sir Andre Geim
We have had a fantastic seven years working together on this new material graphene. It's great to be a young academic at The University of Manchester and I'm grateful to everyone who has collaborated with us. - Prof Sir Kostya Novoselov
Given the properties and the capabilities of Graphene, it is rightly coined as the substance of future. Already, a lot of research has been done on graphene and its applications. Now, it's only a matter of few days and we will see widespread application of graphene in a lot of areas and industries. The possibilities are endless. I'm sure graphene will be the game changer for making future technological visions a reality.
As always if you have been following my blog posts you must have noticed I make use of infographics most of the time. Please refer to the below infographic on graphene to have a better understanding of its properties and applications.
References and further reads: 1 & 2
