Materials for Tomorrow Graphene and Its Future

By Funashi Mwamba |
Flexible materials
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Through a study of discrete and continuous quantum graphs an interest has emerged to produce a possible directions of the various research projects by the  involved Universities. Key interest in the study is

  • Transport properties of networks and their complexity.

Projects and research are underway through application of graphene manipulation. What is Graphene? It’s the versatile two dimensional carbon allotrope with amazing properties 

  • Lightest
  • Strongest with
  • Heat and electricity conductivity (than any material known on Earth)
Graphene can easily be integrated into current materials for various applications with future open door to combine it with 2D crystals for more wider amazing compounds.
“Graphene’s popularity began when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov won the Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 for discovering the material”.  Wrote Pablo G. Bejerano | 6 September 2013 at 19:03 at BlogThinkbig.  “However, their work had been published years earlier, in October 2004. Since that time, and later when they won the prestigious award that brought fame to the new material, companies and research centers have improved their knowledge of it and their manufacturing techniques.”

Graphene Application and Use

Bionic engineering, high quality headphones, efficient sports tools like a tennis racquet, obsoletion of batteries the list is quite incredible.

1. It’s  a Download World with Upscale Uploads

Mega-fast uploads. A mention of a whole terabit in just one second. Wireless uploads of big files take for-ev-er. But researchers at Georgia Tech University have plans for an antenna made of crazy thin graphene that would let you transfer a whole terabit of data in just one second.
Graphene is an almost completely transparent material and is able to optically transmit up to 97.7% of light. This means its application is all over in optoelectronics; liquid crystal displays ( LCD), touchscreens for smartphones, tablets and laptops
2. Energy Storage

What’s the use of the hybrid cars when you quickly run out and have to spend long precious hours recharging? Any battery can potentially hold a lot of energy, but it can take a long time to charge. A capacitor, on the other hand, comparatively speaking can be charged quite quickly, but can’t hold that much energy. 

The solution is to develop energy storage components such as either a supercapacitor or a battery that is able to provide both of these positive characteristics without compromise. Currently scientist are working on incorporating graphene as an anode in batteries. When successful? 

Plug your home devices, Tablets, phones just for five seconds and the unit would be charged.

3. Cleaner Environment- Ultrafiltration

Graphene could potentially clump together radioactive waste, making disposal a mere breeze.

graphene-capabilities
Water Desalination Illustration
MIT Water Desalination | We show that nanometer-scale pores in single-layer freestanding graphene can effectively filter NaCl salt from water. This means water almost everywhere. 
Plus graphene is stronger and less brittle than aluminium oxide (currently used in sub-100nm filtration-applications). Here graphene can be shown to potentially clump together radioactive waste, making disposal so easy.
4. Composite Material    

Graphene is strong, stiff and very light. A good application to employee in the manufacture of vehicles and aerospace. Manufacturers will easily incorporate it into the carbon fibre material. Its preferential because its stronger while much lighter. Military and defense geniuses can, If not already, use these characteristics; high strength requirement applications such as body armour for personnel and vehicles.

Of course all these applications are only in the initial and it would take a while, but manufacturers have to figure out production (apparently Spain is a country to look to for Graphene production as confirmed by ICEX. However  its so interesting to see a promising future.

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