Graphene, a carbon allotrope which is one million times thinner than paper may now be able to be produced cheaply thanks to scientists in Glasgow.
Graphene was first isolated from graphite in 2004 being just a single atom thick but it is flexible, stronger than steel, and capable of efficiently conducting heat and electricity.
However, widespread industrial adoption of graphene has so far been limited by the expense of producing it, which could be reduced by almost 100 per cent of its current cost.
Affordable graphene production could lead to a wide range of new technologies reaching the market, including synthetic skin capable of providing sensory feedback to people with limb prostheses.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have found a way to produce large sheets of graphene, using the same cheap type of copper used to manufacture lithium-ion batteries found in many household devices.
Graphene is often produced by a process known as chemical vapour deposition, or CVD, which turns gaseous reactants into a film of graphene on a special surface known as a substrate.
The research team used a similar process to create high-quality graphene across the surface of commercially-available copper foils of the type often used as the negative electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. The ultra-smooth surface of the copper provided an excellent bed for the graphene to form upon.
They found that the graphene they produced offered a stark improvement in the electrical and optical performance of transistors which they made compared to similar materials produced from the older process.
Dr Dahiya, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Engineering, said: ““The commercially-available copper we used in our process retails for around one dollar per square metre, compared to around $115 for a similar amount of the copper currently used in graphene production. This more expensive form of copper often required preparation before it can be used, adding further to the cost of the process.
Read more: Scots researchers make wonder material breakthrough
The Latest on: Graphene
via Google News
The Latest on: Graphene
- Zen Graphene Solutions Completes Private Placement for Gross Proceeds of $4.3 Millionon April 9, 2021 at 5:00 am
GUELPH, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2021 / ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. ("ZEN" or the "Company") (TSXV:ZEN) is pleased to announce that, effective April 8, 2021, it completed its previously ...
- Graphene collage on Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes for advanced lithium-ion batterieson April 9, 2021 at 3:31 am
Li-ion battery electrodes contain inactive materials, such as conducting agents and polymeric binders, which limit the energy density. Here, the authors demonstrate highly dense Ni-rich cathodes with ...
- Vertical monolithic integration of wide- and narrow-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures on graphene filmson April 8, 2021 at 9:01 pm
Wide- and narrow-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures were monolithically integrated on graphene layers by direct heteroepitaxial growth. The structural, optical, and electrical characteristics of the ...
- Graphene: Everything under control in a quantum materialon April 8, 2021 at 7:28 pm
In a new study, a team of researchers demonstrates that graphene's nonlinearity can be very efficiently controlled by applying comparatively modest electrical voltages to the material.
- A graphene system that freezes electrons as the temperature riseson April 8, 2021 at 7:16 am
Two teams of researchers have independently found that there exists a certain type of graphene system where electrons freeze as the temperature rises. The first team, with members from Israel ...
- Research team demonstrates control mechanism for grapheneon April 8, 2021 at 6:58 am
So far, there has been a lack of knowledge about how to suitably control certain properties of graphene. A new study is changing that.
- Old Tires Turned Into Graphene That Makes Stronger Concreteon April 7, 2021 at 9:45 pm
This could be where the rubber truly hits the road. Rice University scientists have optimized a process to convert waste from rubber tires into graphene that can, in turn, be used to strengthen ...
- Entropy measurements reveal exotic effect in 'magic-angle' grapheneon April 7, 2021 at 10:23 am
Most materials go from being solids to liquids when they are heated. One rare counter-example is helium-3, which can solidify upon heating. This counterintuitive and exotic effect, known as the ...
- Terahertz Imaging of Graphene Paves the Way to Optimization and Industrializationon April 6, 2021 at 4:52 am
Graphene Flagship researchers have developed a new measurement standard for the analysis of graphene and layered materials that could accelerate production and optimize device fabrication. X-ray scans ...
- The Right Chemistry: Graphene is a remarkable materialon April 5, 2021 at 2:08 am
Sir Andre Geim, professor of physics at the University of Manchester, has the distinction of being the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel and an Ig Nobel Prize. The Nobel represents the ...
via Bing News