Turning Garbage Into Graphene, The World’s Strongest Material
Scientists have recently figured out a way to turn everyday trash into one of the most fascinating materials ever discovered.
Since it was first isolated in 2004 by Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov at the University of Manchester, graphene has excited scientists because of its many unique properties. As a one atom thick sheet of carbon, it has the highest strength to weight ratio, is the best-known conductor of heat, conducts electricity better than copper, is virtually transparent yet can still be used in solar panels, can be stretched up to 20%, is bendable, among may other exciting qualities.
Despite being so revolutionary, scientists have had trouble getting graphene out of the lab and into the real world. Producing it on a large scale has proven more difficult than they hoped, as current methods are expensive and slow. For example, mechanical exfoliation removes one layer of graphene from graphite with specialized tapes, much like the original researchers did with Scotch Tape. Chemical exfoliation uses specialized solvents to rearrange carbon atoms in graphite and then remove individual layers of graphene through rapid heating or sound waves. Both of these, as well as other methods, are highly specialized and can produce only a…
