Graphene is the Plastic of Our Future
Imagine your t-shirt telling you when to avoid direct sunlight because your skin has had its fill of UV rays. Picture every surface functioning as a solar panel. All daily devices are unbreakable and charge in minutes or even seconds. Each electronic device is light as a feather. This may all seem like science fiction, but will soon be a reality. The reason lies in a material called graphene.
Discoveries like graphene are often happy accidents. In the 19th century, scientists began to create plastic through a series of experiments gone both right and wrong. Little did anyone know how much plastic would change the world.
In 2004, two researchers at the University of Manchester unintentionally confirmed its existence. Using a roll of adhesive tape, they isolated graphene into one atom of thickness for the very first time. That moment won them the 2010 Nobel Prize. It also marked the beginning of a new era. History books may likely say so in the years to come.
What is Graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms bound into a tight, hexagon shape. It is as close to two-dimensional as any known substance. It measures one atom thick, which is about a million times thinner than the human hair. It is the thinnest known material on earth. If that’s not impressive enough, it also remains stable when exposed to elements like oxygen and temperature changes.
While being the world’s thinnest substance, graphene is also the lightest. One square meter weighs about 0.77 milligrams. In addition to being thinnest and lightest material, graphene is also the strongest, measuring at 100-300 times stronger than steel. Its stiffness is 150,000,000 pounds per square inch (psi), which is harder than a diamond.
What does graphene mean for humanity? If correctly executed, graphene can put plastic out of business, literally. Its capabilities aren’t just limited to replacing plastic, but also materials like steel, which graphene overpowers in strength by 200 times, silicon, glass, rubber, and more.
The composition of this superhero material consists of carbon, the very property that allows life on earth. Therefore, graphene can help the planet in several ways. Thus far, tests in this area have revealed graphene to be a much more sustainable option for electronics, magnetic and chemical sensors, energy protection and storage, and photodetectors, to name a few.
The Environment on Graphene
Climate change is instilling many scientists with a sense of doom, particularly with the lack of actionable steps humanity is taking as a whole. Graphene could offer some hope. Environmental uses are the tip of the iceberg for graphene’s impact.
Solar panels can operate on hundreds of times more efficiency and power storage than standard batteries, decreasing costs while increasing efficiency and producing clean energy. Graphene can also create drinkable water from the ocean by compressing larger salt molecules out.
Graphene in Medicine
If you want to test your blood and get instant results without a trip to a physician, graphene can make that possible. It can also be used to create implants in the brain, eyes, and other parts of the body to cure diseases and improve mobility and function.
Nanobots, or microscopic robots, can be put into the human body to find and eliminate lethal cells. The result is improvement in the reduction of diseases such as diabetes and cancer. It’s possible that the toxic version of graphene may eventually be used to create antibiotics and tissue regeneration.
Electricity
Graphene’s superpowers keep expanding. It’s been shown to conduct electricity more efficiently than any other material in known existence. Wires made of graphene will not lose any heat or electricity while power moves through them. The future may show our current wires and cables becoming obsolete. Graphene’s ability to transmit 97.7% of light may allow for TV and computer screens to windows.
Another electricity-related portal for graphene is in batteries. The potential advancements for electrical engineering are dependent on graphene supercapacitors, which will increase battery power storage, lightness, flexibility, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of standard lithium-ion batteries we are limited to today.
Battery-powered electric cars were the wave of the future before losing momentum. Their short battery life and high cost made them slow down on their entry to the transportation market.
Graphene may help electric cars make a comeback. Due to its strength and resistance, graphene can keep a car battery going for over 300 miles before it needs to recharge. Graphene can ultimately reshape our oil-driven global economy. From earphones to robots, phone cases to airplanes, graphene’s potential to improve battery life is limitless.
For example, the highest quality type of graphene can be a better conductor than copper. Its performance at room temperature has made it the most impressive known conductor known of heat and electricity. It can also absorb light across the near-infrared parts of the spectrum. That makes it useful in spintronics, or the study of an electron’s spin in a magnetic state.
Other Uses
Graphene’s flexible, light, and strong nature has caught the attention of athletic companies. The sports supply industry is starting to use graphene in helmets, soles of shoes, and other normally plastic items. The paper, cardboard, clothing, and food industries are already starting to utilize graphene in their products.
If graphene sounds too good to be true, it almost is. The infinite possibilities from graphene don’t come without obstacles. Creating graphene materials often requires the use of toxic chemicals at high temperatures. Moreso, it is difficult to grow layers of graphene on anything other than metal surfaces, limiting its capabilities in electronics without damaging it.
Consequently, the biggest hindrance to graphene coming onto the mass market is cost. Its manufacturing process is expensive due to its complicated nature. Even though scientists are making progress on manufacturing graphene in more affordable ways, there is no guarantee it will be popular at first.
The industries graphene will challenge (like plastic, most prominently), will likely challenge its market expansion every step of the way.
These hurdles among others are partly why the rollout of graphene to the world market has been slow on the uptake. Some researchers predict that the year 2030 will see graphene used widely in biology. Until then, graphene needs to undergo trials for safety and regulation.
The Future of Graphene
Even still, the future is bright for (and with) graphene. Once the kinks are ironed out, its impact is sure to be historic. Thus far, nearly 30,000 companies have filed patent applications for the material. When the material officially enters the market, its acceptance is somewhat unpredictable. It could take years of attempts before one company figures out how to present it in a way that meets the demands of consumers.
While a future with graphene may seem like a supernatural phenomenon, its potential to change the world is enormous. A life where ocean water can be made easily drinkable, brain implants cure chronic diseases, and electricity becomes the purest form of clean energy is not just a dream, but an achievable reality.
Just like plastic revolutionized the world, graphene is sure to do the same. While time is the biggest hindrance, daily economic and scientific advancements make it more possible for graphene to improve our world. Keep your eyes open for its grand entrance.
Don Basile is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the technology, healthcare, and telecommunications industries. He has previously written for publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, and The Next Web. He also writes frequently about graphene and other new technologies through his > blogs and personal website.
