Materials That Will Change the World Graphene

Have you heard of graphene?

This is a blog about why graphene may be the next multibillion-dollar material, holding the key to computing, healthcare and energy storage.

What is graphene?

Graphene is a pure form of carbon that is very thin, very strong and very expensive.

When I say thin, I mean VERY thin graphene is one atom thick (almost transparent).

And when I say strong, I mean VERY strong. For its very low weight, it is 100 times stronger than steel, as stiff as a diamond, and yet also flexible and even stretchable.

But its other characteristics are most interesting. It conducts heat and electricity with great efficiency (faster at room temperature than any other known material), and it charges and discharges 100x to 1000x faster than traditional batteries.

Right now, its expensive.

Nature reported in 2013 that just one micrometer-sized flake made in this [original] way can cost more than $1,000 making graphene, gram for gram, one of the most expensive materials on Earth.

However, as mass production increases, there is potential for a 70% to 80% price drop, making graphene production much more economical. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), for example, has brought the cost down to about $100,000 per square meter.

Read more:
Materials That Will Change the World Graphene