Graphene

Graphene – the perfect atomic lattice

Graphene is an allotrope (form) of carbon. In its purest form, it is a single layer of carbon packed in a hexagonal (honeycomb) lattice, with a carbon-carbon distance of 0.142 nm and a thickness of 0.335 nanometers. The first truly two-dimensional crystalline material, graphene has a number of unique properties, including those listed below. These characteristics make graphene an exciting area for theoretical and practical research, and explain why graphene has been called a “wonder material” for the 21st Century.

Theoretical physical properties of graphene:

  1. Specific surface area:  2630 m² g-1
  2. High thermal conductivity: ~ 5000 W/m·K
  3. High optical transmittance: ~ 97.7%
  4. High intrinsic carrier mobility: 200000 cm 2 v − 1 s – 1
  5. Low Resistivity: 10-6Ω·cm
  6. High Young’s modulus: ~ 1.0 TPa

Graphene is an extremely thin, high mechanical strength, transparent and flexible conductor. In view of these unique properties, graphene promises to enable groundbreaking advances across a wide range of applications, including but not limited to use in:

  1. Transparent conducting electrodes
  2. Thermal management materials
  3. Ultracapacitors
  4. Li-ion batteries
  5. Bio-devices
  6. Anti-bacterial compounds and treatments
  7. Solar cells
  8. High-performance cookware