“Graphene” The Element of Wonder
Copper, copper, copper. Every time we think about any electrical wire, the first thing that pops in our head is copper. This brown ugly looking metal is sliced in long shapes and put together to form electrical wires. So far these wires have been used in any electrical connection. But what if there was something better? Something made out of some new material? Which not only looks better or provides stronger support but also, carries a current density 1 million times greater than that of copper?
A new competitor has arrived in the field of electrical conductivity. I present to you ‘Graphene’.
This fascinating material was first discovered through scotch tape techniques. Experiments were conducted on thin layers of graphene back in 1990. But the layers were not large enough to carry on substantial research. In 2004, a groundbreaking discovery occurred when two professors of The University of Manchester extracted some layers of the material which was almost 1 atom thick. The amount was substantial enough to carry out the necessary test that was required to study the true potential of graphene. Since then, researches were done and the material was studied thoroughly by different researches. Although other theories and researches were published before, recently its practical usage has been acknowledged and further experiments are being conducted on its application.
Imagine a television or mobile screen as thin as a paper or a door that works both as a door and also as a digital lock operated through a touch screen right on the door’s surface. Imagine a mirror that works as a digital monitor that keeps you updated every morning when you look at it to fix your hair or your dress before going to work. Imagine the entire roof of your house clear and transparent yet efficiently usable as solar panels making sure your house never runs out of electricity. Imagine charging your phones or smartwatches once and not needing to charge it further for like an entire week or month. Yes, all of these imaginations may seem a little far-fetched but it’s possible with the help of graphene.
Graphene is categorized as two-dimensional materials. 2D materials have high mechanical strength, intense mobility and thermal, electrical conductivity. Some of the two-dimensional materials are graphene, silicene, stantene, germanene, boron, molybdenum disulfide, etc. Among these, graphene is one of the most popular ones.
Graphene is a form of pure carbon. It’s very thin with extremely strong covalent bonds. This makes graphene almost 200 times stronger than steel. Graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms in a honeycomb structure. Multiple layers of graphene stacked together is called graphite.
What makes graphene so highly conductive? Well, in the hexagonal lattice of graphene, each carbon is connected with three more atoms. There are four electrons in the outer shell of the bond and two more electrons in the inner shell. Three out of four of the outer ones are connected with three more carbons leaving one electron free. This free electron acts as a charge carrier. This is what makes it superconductive.
Graphene conducts electricity almost a million times faster than that of copper. A thin layer of graphene is enough to form a reliable electrical connection. A touch screen made out of plastic or glass can be connected electrically to the motherboard by adding a few portions of the thin graphene layer on the screen. So instead of wires, electrical connections can be formed by painting a thin layer of graphene particles. This is a lot more efficient than using copper wires. Again, graphene stores energy from sun rays which means it can be used in making solar panels. This photovoltaic material is playing a revolutionary role in improving solar panels. Also, graphene is transparent. Because of its high transparency, it can allow light to both flow through and create electrical energy. Its ability to create electricity in almost any weather has been massively beneficial in the field of photo-electricity.
Because of graphene’s photoelectric properties, it can be used effectively in generating power. Our world is in severe need of renewable energy. We are polluting our environment day by day by using oil or gas or coal in our vehicles. We need to keep in mind that these non-renewable energies that we are using today will be out stock in the future. So to keep up with this hunger for power, we need renewable energy. This is where graphene can play a game-changing role. Graphene can be a prime element of renewable power. While we seek renewable energy sources, graphene-based solar panels can provide electricity intensively.
Already in many fields of electronics graphene is being used. For instance, recently the popular tech giant Samsung has started testing out graphene-based batteries. Their test results show that the batteries are charged in less than half an hour. This will be extremely beneficial to its users as fast charging will reach a whole new level. A company in china named FiiO Electronics started using graphene in their earphones. A company named Applied Graphene Materials also started using graphene in making new fishing rods. A chip-making company named Nanomedical Diagnostics started producing its new biosensor chips with graphene.
I guess it’s only a matter of time before we see graphene in almost every electric device that we use every day. It is undoubtedly an element of miracle.
