GRAPHENE OUTLOOK

By Tim Grady

Fascinating Graphene

Graphene is a two-dimensional layer of carbon atoms held together by its chemical bonds in a hexagonal structure to form a one-atom-thick sheet. To date, the largest sheet produced is 30 centimeters by 30 centimeters (about 12 inches by 12 inches), although larger sheets are being researched and nearing development. It is one of 25 elements researchers have theorized can be produced as a two-dimensional structure.

Graphene is most easily produced by vapor deposition in a vacuum, where atoms are transferred onto a substrate using a carrier that will evaporate and leave behind the desired deposit. A simple example would be powder coating, where the coating is easily removable from the substrate. It is, however, currently expensive to produce, although less expensive production methods are in development.

Researchers have found that graphene has remarkable properties. It is 200 times stronger than steel at a similar thickness. It is very lightweight and flexible, making it attractive for wearable electronics, including medical devices. It is 98 percent transparent. It is more conductive than other materials and may increase the speed of computer chips by 10-fold. It has been shown to be bulletproof at only two layers thick. It is acid-resistant and holds together at temperatures up to 1300 degrees Fahrenheit. Its ‘state’ can be altered so that it is either permeable or impermeable. Interestingly, the 2-dimensional state of boron, called borophene, is even stronger than graphene, although it is not as far along in research and development.

The National Institute of Justice, a research arm of the Department of Justice, has created standards for ballistic material. Level IIIA is a material capable of stopping a .357 magnum round or a .44 magnum round fired from a short-barrel weapon at close range, such as a handgun. Just two layers of graphene can stop either round.

Wearable electronics cover a wide range of uses, including clothing that could capture the energy of the sun to charge your cell phone, to electronic patches worn on the skin to monitor your vital signs and various medical conditions and transmit them to a cell phone message that can be sent to your doctor. In its permeable state, it can speed the blood flow across a membrane and decrease the time needed to clear the blood of toxins in hemodialysis. Research into medical uses is in its very early stages.

Graphene’s electrical conductivity makes it a candidate for solar panels to capture and convert sunlight into usable electricity for anything from solar windows to solarcharged electric cars. A thin layer of graphene on top of the paint color but below the clear finish gloss coat may covert enough solar energy to make charging stations obsolete. In addition, graphene helps batteries charge five times faster, which may help extend driving range.

Imagine the potential amount of fossil fuel burned to heat water to create steam to drive turbines for energy generation that could be replaced by thin graphene solar energy sheets on surfaces of all shapes, from flat to curved. Graphene could be sandwiched between panes of glass, converting sunlight into energy and providing impact-proof, nearly transparent glass. Even the glass on vehicles could convert solar energy to reduce the use of battery power.

One of the more attractive applications of the permeable state of graphene is water desalination.

This could change the use and consumption of water worldwide, especially for human needs and agriculture in arid climates. However, shifting vast quantities of water from sea to land, where evaporation into the atmosphere will occur, may also have unanticipated climate change impacts as water vapor accumulates in the air.

Graphene with molybdenum clusters has been demonstrated to separate hydrogen from oxygen for hydrogen fuel generation. It may become further possible to separate hydrogen from oxygen in H3O - the undesirable heavy water resulting from the cooling of nuclear reactors.

The University of Manchester in the UK is already researching the use of graphene to separate different isotopes of hydrogen from water, as well as separating deuterium for use in fission and fusion reactors.

The applications of graphene are in their research, development, and application infancy. What is known today is but a fraction of what will be known and in use a decade from now. In terms of improvements for humankind, the discovery and development of graphene may be as life-altering as the discovery of fire or electricity itself.

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