Understanding Graphene

Graphene 3. Potential Applications ENHANCED PLASTICS: graphene could be incorporated into any product today that uses plastic. By doing this, plastics could be made stronger, lighter and more environmentally friendly than their pure plastic counterpart, e.g., aircraft parts, car parts, sports and household goods could all be improved (1 1,000+ GHZ MICROCHIPS: Researchers (4 SUPER RAPID DNA SEQUENCING: By feeding individual strands of DNA through nanometre-sized holes in graphene sheets, researchers in the Netherlands say they have proven the principle of a revolutionary new DNA sequencing technique. After passing DNA through tiny punctures in a sheet of graphene a voltage is applied along the graphene surface as DNA strands are passed slowly through the slit one Well Home. at MIT have developed a graphene-based microchip that can operate at 1,000GHZ, a much higher speed than that conventional silicon chips would ever dream of reaching. These ultra-fast microchips can improve the data transfer rate for cellphones, computers, or other electronic devices. Visualizing a Miracle Material Improve the weather inside. Graphene Patent Growth Issued Patents 1. What is Graphene? Published Patents Application Graphene is a material that consists of a one-atom-thick planar sheet of carbon atoms that are organized into upon. a honeycomb crystal lattice structure. Their structure appears similar to that of chicken wire. Graphene stacked in sheets form graphite, which most are base at a time. The idea is that each of SOLAR CELLS: Thin films of graphene could provide a cheap replacement for the transparent, conductive indium tin oxide electrodes used in organic solar cells, allowing for mass production and economies of scale not yet possible. the four bases – A, C, G and T- will have a unique effect on the conductance of graphene across the gap, allowing for extraordinarily fast measurement of these changes in conductance and thus extremely fast sequencing. familiar with as the material used in pencils. [2] 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2. What makes Graphene a Unique Material? YEAR DNA . 2-D a. Graphene is the thinnest material possible. Its thickness does not exceed that of an individual carbon SPINTRONIC COMPUTER APPLICATIONS: University of California, Riverside physicists have made breakthroughs in developing graphene-based "spin computers." A spin computer would allow for huge storage capacity using a fraction of the power consumption atom, and for all intents and purposes These are just some of the potential applications of graphene-imagine some of the applications that haven't been examined yet! The future of graphene holds limitless possibilities into literally every corner of industry and manufacturing, and as the years pass it will likely become a common- place substance, the way that plastic is today. can be considered two-dimensional. Graphene can be manipulated to form three-dimensional forms that take on their own unique and promising properties. One such form are the often hailed carbon nanotubes. [2] of current electronics. This is accomplished through polarization of electrons--the spin process actually gives each a directional orientation, up or down. A spin computer would maximize usage of this state of b. Due to its two-dimensional nature, graphene is thought to retain a property called "charge fractionalization." This materials to store more data, perform faster, and generate less heat than NEXT-GEN DISPLAYS: Researchers at property is essential to the development of the next generation of computing. It enables advances in both Quantum computing and anyonic circuits. [3] 9) Stanford University have successfully developed a brand new concept of organic lighting-emitting diodes (OLEDS) with a few nanometer of graphene as standard electronics. transparent conductor. This could pave the way for inexpensive mass production c. Because graphene is only one atom thick, pure graphene is transparent. This property could lead to graphene being used to create transparent electrodes for light-based applications such as LED's or vastly improved solar cells. [4] of OLEDS on large-area low cost flexible 6 ULTRACAPACITORS: Today's batteries are increasingly an issue. They constantly need to be recharged, hold comparatively small amounts of energy, and deteriorate quickly. plastic substrate, which could be rolled up like wallpaper and applied virtually anywhere. REPLACEMENT FOR SILICON TRANSISTORS: Graphene can be used to make excellent transistors. It is so thin we can easily 8. SENSING AND DETECTING MOLECULES: Graphene may provide an alternative in the form of ultracapacitors. control whether or not it conducts by applying an electric field. Electrons in graphene also travel ballistically over sub-micron distances. As a result, Kostya Novoselov from the University of Manchester, UK, and colleagues from Russia and the Netherlands, created micrometre-sized flakes of graphene d. Besides being the thinnest possible material, graphene is also one of the strongest at more than 200 times the strength of steel. Researchers at Columbia University's Foudation School of Engineering said recently that "It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of Saran Wrap." [1] Graphene based ultracapacitors could store more energy, more efficiently than current batteries. Additionally, ultracapacitors have a longer life, are lighter, more flexible, and are easier to maintain. Imagine not having SOURCES: capable of observing distinct and discrete step changes in resistance, corresponding to single molecules of the gas absorbing to and deabsorbing from the graphene flake. This advance could lead to devices that could sense a 1. http://bigthink.com/ideas/24381 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene 3. http://arxiv.org/abs/0812.1116 4. http://www.nanowerk.com/news/ newsid=10425.php graphene-based transistors can run at to recharge your computer for days, or your cell phone for months, all while never having them get too hot, or having to replace the battery! higher frequencies much more efficiently than the silicon transistors we use now. Replacing silicon transistors with graphene would take computing to an entirely new level, increasing speed and capacity to unheard of heights. single molecule within a given space.