If someone asks you to name the lightest material that is comprised of carbon, then your answer will be none other than Graphene. It has gained the reputation of being the strongest compound in comparison to steel.
Want to know more about Graphene in detail? Here it is…..
What is Graphene all about?
Graphene is a monolayer that is comprised of atoms of carbon. The atoms are bound tightly in a hexagonal lattice whose shape is similar to that of a honeycomb. Being an allotrope of carbon, the atoms are bonded in the hybridization of sp2.
The molecular bond length is at most 0.142 nanometres. The graphene layers are stacked on top of each other, thus forming graphite. The interplanar spacing comprises a dimension of almost 0.335 nanometres.
What are Some Remarkable Characteristics of Graphene?
The layers are bound altogether with the help of Vander Waals forces that can be easily overcome at the time of exfoliating of the graphene. Some of the highly remarkable characteristics associated with graphene include the following:
- High tensile strength
- Good conductor of heat at room temperature
- Good conductor of electricity
- Ability to absorb light uniformly across visible and infrared parts of the spectrum
- Suitability to use in case of spin transport
These are some points that indicate the fact that carbon is another abundant element found on the earth. Overall, graphene is a highly eco-friendly and sustainable solution for a limitless number of usages.
What Are Some Potential Applications of Graphene?
Graphene is a well-known diverse material that can be easily combined with additional elements. Those additional elements include metals and gases. The combination results in the production of different materials with a wide range of various types of properties.
Researchers all along the world are carrying on constant investigation along with patent graphene. The properties and applications associated with graphene include the following:
- Battery
- Computer chips
- Transistors
- Generation of energy
- Supercapacitors
- Sequencing of DNA
- Water filters
- Antenna
- LCD and OLED displays
- Solar cells and many more.
From the above, it can be easily made out that graphene is a highly exciting material that is gaining lots and lots of attention.
Production of Graphene
Graphene is undoubtedly a highly exciting material. But, the production of high-quality materials still demands a challenge. There are several companies all around the world that are producing various types of graphene materials.
Those materials range from single-layered to flakes that are produced from graphite. The production takes place in the form of large volumes. The high-end graphene sheets are used in a wide range of various R&D related activities and sensors.
The graphene flakes are produced in a large volume and are applied in a wide range of applications that include automotive, sports equipment, and consumer electronics. There are lots and lots of companies that are known for offering a wide range of purely graphene-based products.
The selection of the items is based on their utility and applications. The discovery of graphene has resulted in the explosion of a wide range of applications having a wide range of scientific disciplines. Some of the most remarkable ones include the following:
- High-frequency electronics
- Chemical and magnetic sensors
- Ultra-wide bandwidth photodetectors
- Storage and generation of energy
What are Some Challenges Related to the Production of Graphene?
Earlier, the methods associated with the production of graphene were highly expensive and complex. The process was all about the usage of highly toxic chemicals for the growth of graphene.
It was grown in the form of a monolayer by simply exposing platinum, nickel, and titanium carbide to benzene of ethylene. That too at high temperatures! Also, there was hardly any alternative to make generous use of crystalline epitaxy on anything other than a metallic substrate.
Such problems related to production resulted in making graphene unavailable to be used for commercial purposes and developmental research. The difficulty to remove graphene layers hindered the use of CVD in electronic appliances.
Is it Possible to Separate Graphene from Metallic Board?
Through proper analysis of the interfacial adhesive energy of graphene, it will become easy to separate graphene effectively from the metallic board. The board can be reused effectively for any type of future application for an infinite number of times.
It will help a lot in reducing the amount of toxic waste that has been created during the process. The quality of graphene that has been separated with the help of this method has been inferred to be exclusively high in terms of creating molecular electronic devices.
The research work related to the growth of CVD graphene has progressed by leaps, thus rendering the quality the same. Research is still being carried out for the production of graphene consistently.
The custom substrates are being used over the impurities that include ripples, domain size, and doping levels. It is also helpful in controlling the total number and orientation of the layers of graphene.
Is it Possible to Create Supercapacitors Out of Graphene?
The creation of supercapacitors out of graphene is one of the largest steps in the field of electronics engineering. Though the development of electronic components is progressing at a high rate, batteries along with capacitors are the primary factors that limit production. Some of the factors that limit include:
- Size
- Power Capacity
- Efficiency
Most of the batteries are highly inefficient. Even, the capacitors are more or less. The lithium-ion batteries are facing a trade-off amidst densities of energy and power.
Is Graphene Used for Boosting the Capacity of Batteries?
This is a very common question that hovers in the minds of many people. Graphene is not only used for boosting the capacity and charge rate of the batteries. Instead, it helps boost the overall longevity of the batteries.
Presently, materials like lithium can store a high amount of energy. It results in diminishing the potential amount of charge due to the wear and tear of the electrode. Batteries having graphene tin oxide as an anode result in the charging of the same for a long time.
Why is Graphene Used in Paint?
Another specific use in association with graphene is none other than in paint. Being inert, it acts as a barrier to prevent corrosion between the diffusion rate of water and oxygen. It implies the fact that the vehicles of the forthcoming generation can be manufactured to be highly resistant to corrosion.
Graphene can be easily made to be grown on any type of metallic surface, provided it is a good condition. The high tensile strength makes it a suitable replacement for Kevlar in the form of protective clothing. It will be eventually seen in the case of vehicle manufacturing and as a building material.
Graphene is also considered to be the highest ideal choice for channel material for radio frequency flexible electronics. Radiofrequency along with terahertz applications are pushed forward to be used in the case of a THz detector.
The flexible nature of graphene makes it a highly suitable compound to be used in the case of various electronic devices on flexible substrates. Some of the most suitable examples include supercapacitors, strain sensors, wearable touch panels, and triboelectric sensors.
Their applications include touch screen devices. The best example of touch screen devices includes mobile devices and wristwatches. Foldable televisions and electronically flexible newspapers are also some of the places that make use of graphene.
Graphene being highly transparent is expected to be a component of extremely durable windows in homes.
What Makes Graphene a Promising Material?
Graphene is a highly promising material that is also used in telecom photodetectors. It is known for its ability to absorb light over a large bandwidth that includes standard telecom wavelengths.
Being compatible with the CMOS technology, it can be easily integrated technically along with silicon photonics. Graphene is a good conductor of heat and promises a high reduction in the heat consumption rate of photonic devices.
This is the only reason that makes graphene suitable for optical communications. Being in the intense field of research, it is now gaining a high rate of fruition in working prototypes.
What has Attracted Lots of Attention to Graphene?
The gas or vapour that is purely based on graphene has attracted lots of attention in recent years for a wide range of applications. It comprises a wide range of structures along with unique performance sensing, tremendous prospects of applications, and many more.
Apart from water vapour, graphene is being used for sensing several types of gases including ammonia, hydrogen, nitrogen dioxide, and many more. Graphene is also being used as a great component for detecting traces of opioids having concentrations as low as 10 picograms per millimetre of liquid.
Bulk synthesis of graphene?
Bulk synthesis of graphyne is the process of producing large quantities of this material for use in various applications. There are several different approaches to synthesizing graphyne, including chemical vapour deposition (CVD), template-assisted methods, and bottom-up approaches using precursors.
One of the key challenges of synthesizing graphene in bulk is controlling the bond configuration and structure of the material. Because graphyne has alternating single and triple bonds, the arrangement of these bonds is crucial to the material’s properties. In order to produce high-quality graphene, it is necessary to carefully control the synthesis conditions and process parameters, such as temperature, pressure, and precursor concentrations.
Wrapping Up!
A multitude of properties associated with graphene has resulted in making graphene suitable to be used for biosensing. Graphene is enabling technology to be used in novel and magnetic field sensors.
Presently, more and more graphene products are being introduced into the market. Sports industry to many more! It is expected that in future, graphene will be a highly popular product.