Why the Graphene will soon take over the world?
People will get fuel right out of thin air, the shortage of water on earth has come to an end because ocean water has become drinkable, metals don't rust anymore, people don't have any need for electric bulbs replacing them with glowing wallpaper humans are steadily becoming biotic that's not the latest sci-fi movie we're describing, it's a very probable and very close future that will become possible due to the wonder material called Graphene. But the most amazing thing about this semi metal of the future is the fact that you can produce it yourself in your living room. We’ll tell you how to do this a bit later on.
Structure of Graphene : Illustration
What is Graphene and why is it so amazing?
One of the things that makes Graphene so cool is that it is the thinnest material you can imagine, it's just one atom thick this means this material is mathematically two-dimensional and you can still hold this single layer of atoms in your hands doesn't that blow your mind. Graphene isn't a unique or rare substance in fact it has the same carbon structure as the graphite you use every day when you draw or write with your pencil but at the same time in 0.03 inches of graphite there are about three million Graphene layers Dr. Konstantin Novoselov and professor A.K Geim discovered the wonder material in 2004 at the University of Manchester.
Story Behind Graphene
They were examining how efficient graphite is as a transistor; the story goes that Graphene appeared. Thanks to sticky tape after professor Geim. Dr. Novoselov stuck this tape to a piece of graphite they pulled free a single layer of the material this left them with Graphene in 2010 they were awarded a Nobel Prize for their invention. Graphene used to be incredibly expensive to manufacture it cost a whopping eleven hundred dollars to produce enough Graphene to cover the head of a pin however by the end of 2015 you could by point three five ounces of Graphene for a thousand dollars. Even better due to the optimized methods of production specialists expect the price of this substance to reduce even more. It may eventually become as low as the cost of the raw material graphite. Graphene is incredibly stretchy it can stretch as much as 25% of its length, this material is also really stiff. Actually it's the hardest material people know about even harder than diamonds and that says a lot in fact nothing less than an elephant balancing on a sharpened pencil will be able to pierce Graphene. Despite being two-dimensional Graphene can still be seen and you don't even need to bother with a microscope this single layer of atoms is perfectly visible to the naked eye. One more great thing about Graphene is it's a relationship with electricity this material carries electricity more quickly more precisely and more efficiently than any other known material. The reason is that the current density of Graphene is many million times better than that of copper, as for its intrinsic mobility it's much better than silicon thus electrons have no resistance when they move through Graphene. As a result people can potentially use Graphene to produce batteries that will have ten times the electrical retention capacity of anything we have today. One more quality of Graphene that scientists find extremely interesting is that it expands when cooled and shrinks when it gets warm there are no other examples of materials with a similar quality. All normal substances act in the opposite way they become larger when they are heated and smaller when they get cold however hard you try you won't be able to squeeze even a single atom of helium through Graphene. This makes this semi metal the most impermeable material discovered so far.
Sci-Fi Link
Consequently Graphene can function as the ideal gas detector at the same time while atoms have difficulty getting through Graphene. There’s nothing simpler for electrons according to Professor Geim that makes this material perfect for conducting experiments in high-speed quantum physics. Graphene has huge potential that's probably why the EU devoted 1.3 billion to research that's supposed to last for a decade from 2013 to 2023, this research is intended to find out how Graphene can alter the very principles of the electronics, health construction and energy sectors? How can Graphene be used, there are countless opportunities that Graphene can provide to humanity a space elevator this idea appeared in 1979 in a sci-fi novel by Sir Arthur Clark called The Fountain Of Paradise, the elevator described in the book looked like a tower with paper-thin walls and a hollow interior the sides were 12 miles apart and it went 22,000 miles up the idea of such an elevator sounds completely outlandish but if it were built space would become accessible and affordable until. Recently the main problem has been finding materials light enough and strong enough to support such an elevator however with the discovery of Graphene things may finally get off.
2D - Structure
Applications
Sea Water : Graphene may be the answer to the water crisis many countries are facing if we make membranes from Graphene they would be able to let water through while filtering out salt at the same time. This would be a revolution in desalination technology such membranes can also purify water. In fact in 2018 scientists from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization made seawater drinkable after just a single use of a particular form of Graphene called graph air dong-ha and so one of the researchers said that this technology can make any water drinkable no matter how dirty it is.
Military : Super – strong body armor one layer of Graphene is impressive enough can you imagine what you could achieve with two layers of this super material nothing short of incredibly strong body. Armor researchers from Georgia Tech have recently demonstrated how two atomic layers of Graphene managed to remain intact after scientists tried to perforate them with a diamond tip.
Health Sector : Healthcare scientists at the University of Illinois have discovered that Graphene can assist in detecting cancerous cells in the body researchers from the University of Texas have invented temporary tattoos that are based on Graphene. These tattoos are far from a simple body decoration. They can keep track of a person's vitals including their level of hydration and skin temperature recharging gadgets new batteries based on Graphene will be able to recharge incredibly quickly. It will be possible for them to go from empty to full in just 15 minutes.
Electronics : What's more they can be charged more than 3500 times that's pretty impressive for a regular battery. We can't even keep our phone charged for a day. Flexible smartphones displays if producers start to use Graphene and gadget manufacturing we might end up with smart phones that can bend in any direction.
One of Graphene’s main properties is its flexibility, thus electronics based on Graphene technology will inherit the same trait running shoes for a new generation such running shoes have already been tested in the labs of the University of Manchester. They're different from other running shoes lies in the fact that they're rubber outsole ZAR made with the addition of Graphene as a result they are much stretcher and stronger than more common materials thus such shoes will last much longer blowing wallpaper.
Bulbs : Graphene may be the reason why light bulbs become thing of the past thin glowing wallpaper. With Graphene based electrode technology will provide pleasant and adjustable lighting for houses in addition such lighting will also be much more energy efficient than modern light bulbs.
Corrosion : A no rust world as we have already mentioned Graphene is practically impermeable that's why just one coating of Graphene based paint will be able to prevent rust and corrosion copper plates covered with such paint may even be used as containers to hold extremely corrosive acids.
Hair Dyeing : Hair dyeing Graphene can be used in the beauty industry as well it will be the perfect alternative to current hair dyes most of which are still toxic and damaging to hair. In 2018 scientists from Northwestern University found out that Graphene can be as effective as permanent hair dyes without the need for toxic molecular ingredients also unlike other hair dyes. Graphene has antibacterial thermal dissipation and anti-static qualities the experts sprayed a gel based on Graphene oxide onto blonde hair it was left to dry for 10 minutes the hair ended up being covered with a Graphene film that was only 2 microns thick all the participants reported that the color stayed in place even after 30 washes.
Let make it at home
Can you make Graphene at home well you can potentially make Graphene at home, provided you have enough time and patience to do so. You'll need several pieces of sticky tape and a lead pencil after you deposit a thick layer of graphite onto a piece of paper use some sticky tape to remove a layer of the graphite then use the second piece of sticky tape to remove a layer of graphite from the first one the third piece of sticky tape will peel off a layer of graphite from the second one and so on if you're patient enough you'll notice how the layers of graphite become thinner and thinner in the end you're supposed to end up with a single layer of graphite which will be our two dimensional Graphene. This method might be a little tiresome but it won a Nobel Prize after all which use of Graphene. Do you believe that this material will change the future?
