Graphene: Wafer-thin, stretchy, strong as steel—can it revolutionize our world?

Graphene, an ultra-thin, flexible material with strength comparable to steel, is poised to revolutionize various industries. Its remarkable properties promise transformative impacts across technology, manufacturing, and sustainability. Graphene's potential lies in enhancing product performance, enabling innovative applications in electronics, energy storage, and even biomedical fields. As research continues to unlock its full capabilities, graphene stands as a cornerstone of future technological advancements, potentially reshaping the way we interact with materials and solve global challenges.

The material, which was discovered in 2004 with the promise of being revolutionary, is now finally reaching maturity in its technological development.

Boston Brand Media brings you the news about startup business - Twenty years ago, scientists heralded the creation of a groundbreaking material set to revolutionize our lives: graphene. This single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern ranks among the strongest materials known, surpassing copper in conductivity for both electricity and heat.

The material promised vast technological advancements, with predictions of ultra-fast processors and computers. Reports suggested it could accelerate battery charging fivefold and increase concrete strength by 35%. Advocates even proposed using it to solve pothole problems by blending it with conventional road surfacing materials.

Boston Brand Media also found that the discovery of graphene by Manchester University scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov in 2004 led to their Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010, and spurred the establishment of a National Graphene Institute at the university. However, the initial excitement surrounding this revolutionary material has since diminished. Despite early predictions of transforming electronics and infrastructure like potholes, graphene has yet to realize its full potential.

According to Sir Colin Humphreys, professor of materials science at Queen Mary University of London, the primary setback has been the challenge of scaling up production. Initially produced in small flakes using an unconventional method involving sticky tape and graphite, graphene proved impractical for creating functional electronic devices. Major corporations such as IBM, Samsung, and Intel invested billions attempting to upscale production to larger, usable forms, but progress has been limited.

As a result, the anticipated graphene revolution has stalled. However, recent advancements in manufacturing techniques, particularly leveraging methods used for gallium nitride electronic components, offer renewed hope. Humphreys and his team's breakthroughs suggest that graphene-based devices could soon achieve the scale and utility needed to fulfill its early promise, potentially revitalizing the market and reigniting interest in its transformative capabilities.

“We used some of the first graphene we manufactured this way to create a sensor capable of detecting magnetic fields,” explained Humphreys, who, along with his team, established the spin-off company Paragraf.

Located in Somersham, Cambridgeshire, Paragraf has become a pioneer in mass-producing graphene-based devices. With two pizza oven-shaped reactors, they now produce enough graphene daily to manufacture 150,000 devices. These devices serve two primary purposes: detecting battery faults in e-bikes and e-scooters to prevent fires, and distinguishing between bacterial and viral infections to guide appropriate antibiotic use.

“We also believe our biosensors could detect sepsis within minutes,” added Humphreys.

Graphene devices offer the additional benefit of potentially consuming less energy than current technologies. Humphreys emphasized, “The era of silicon is ending. We’ve maxed out transistor density on chips, doubling their energy consumption every three years. If this trend continues unchecked, silicon devices could consume all global electricity production, threatening our net-zero goals.”

While graphene technology arrived later than anticipated, it holds promise in mitigating these challenges and significantly impacting modern life.

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Source: theguardian‍