GRAPHENE

GRAPHENE

1. WHAT IS?

   • Thin layer of pure carbon
     • Bonded together in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice
       • it is an allotrope of carbon in the structure of a plane of sp2 bonded atoms with a molecule bond length of 0.142 nanometres.

2. APPLICATIONS IN TECHNOLOGY

   • Energy
     • Bateries
       • Graphene could dramatically increase the lifespan of a traditional lithium ion battery, meaning devices can be charged more quickly - and hold more power for longer
     • Supercapacitors
       • Graphene supercapacitors could provide massive amounts of power while using much less energy than conventional devices. Because they are light, they could also reduce the weight of cars or planes.
     • Storing wind and solar powers
       • At The University of Manchester we're also investigating graphene's potential in grid applications and storing wind or solar power with our growing number of commercial partners.
   • Biomedical
     • Medical science
       • Graphene based materials including pristine graphene sheets, few-layer graphene flakes, and graphene oxide offer a variety of unique, versatile and tunable properties that can be creatively utilised for biomedical applications.
     • Drug delivery
       • The lateral dimensions of these two dimensional (2D) materials can be adjusted between nanometres and millimetres, and their thickness can be tuned from single to hundreds of monolayers and their flexural rigidity can also be modulated.
   • Sensors
     • Defence
       • The extreme sensitivity of graphene-based sensors could also be tuned to chemical warfare agents and explosives. This could allow for early warning detection systems for soldiers in the field potentially saving lives.
     • Crop protection
       • Graphene sensors could boost the effectiveness of monitoring vital crops in the agriculture industry. Farmers would be able to monitor the existence of any harmful gasses which could impact upon crop fields and take relevant action.
   • Electronics
     • Wearable technology
       • Graphene could see a smart phone which you could wear on your wrist or a tablet you could roll up like a newspaper. Flexible, wearable electronics take advantage of graphene's mechanical properties as well as its conductivity.
     • Graphene semiconductors
       • Graphene's unique properties of thinness and conductivity have led to global research into its applications as a semiconductor.

3. WAYS TO OBTAIN

   • There are many ways to make graphene at home but it would be with a lower quality, here is one way to do it: http://chemistry.about.com/od/makechemicalsyourself/a/How-To-Make-Graphene.htm