Graphene, a superhero in 2D

A story about how a thin plate of carbon one atom thick can revolutionize the world of mobile technology and beyond.

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You may have already heard about graphene. Since the discovery of graphene, scientists have touted its truly enormous potential to transform the world, from space elevators to medical nano-devices. But what is graphene? What are its characteristics and the most interesting application scenarios? How can he change the mobile electronics industry?

The first of its kind

Graphene is the first two-dimensional material known to man. The atoms of most materials are arranged in 3D, and graphene is made up of one layer of carbon atoms. It's basically a sheet of carbon one atom thick.

In 2004, graphene was separated from graphite, another form of carbon, by two professors at the University of Manchester, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. Their work in the same year was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, which made Novoselov the youngest winner of the award in the field of physics. This scientific recognition gave impetus to the founding of the State Graphene Institute in the UK, whose task was to further research the material.

I can't believe it, but exotic graphene was first obtained in a completely simple way using ordinary scotch tape. The process is visually presented in the video.

Graphene crystals one atom thick were separated at the moment of illumination by re-sticking a strip of duct tape on coal, each of which reduced the thickness of the crystals until it reached the thickness of an atom. A single layer of atoms forms a honeycomb-like two-dimensional structure. Graphene has all the advantages of carbon in terms of lightness and at the same time strength – one can recall how carbon fiber (a combination of carbon fabric and epoxy resin under air pressure) changed the space industry and mechanical engineering precisely because of these properties. Carbon fiber is also slowly making its way into mobile electronics: Dell and Lenovo are already using it to give their laptops both strength and lightness. In addition to these properties, graphene has a number of good features, more on that later.

Research into various properties and applications of graphene currently suggests an almost unlimited number of use cases. In mobile technology, graphene is used in many components, from transparent and flexible screens and next-generation batteries that can last much longer than today, to incredibly powerful processors.

Graphene Supercapacitor Batteries

Batteries of the new generation will not be based on electrochemical chains (for example, lithium-ion), but supercapacitors in which energy is generated from an electric current, and not from a controlled chemical reaction. Supercapacitors recharge much faster and are more durable and reliable in various temperature conditions than modern batteries. They are also much more expensive.

Supercapacitors use a large area of ​​activated carbon to help store and release electrical charge. Their power can be increased with graphene, which has an even larger area due to its two-dimensional structure. At this stage, the price range of industrially synthesized graphene is quite wide, but the lower price threshold is considered to be competitive compared to activated carbon. which will make supercapacitors more affordable with increasing production volumes.

The market needs better battery technology. Thanks to cheap supercapacitors, batteries with longer runtimes and near-instant recharge may appear. This development will have a positive impact on the user experience and the environment. The electricity stored in our devices will be used more efficiently and help save on energy bills. Also, the production of such batteries will be based on more environmentally friendly and widespread resources, in contrast to lithium.

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Flexible / folding screens

Flexible and translucent screens have already hit the market thanks to manufacturers such as LG. Rumors also point to Samsung's plans to release a folding screen phone. These new scenarios use a thin layer of OLEDs (OLED) in a thin plate. As for materials: a team led by one of the discoverers of graphene, Kostya Novoselov, has developed a two-dimensional LED semiconductor using diodes and metal graphene at the atomic level, which gives an incredibly thin form factor. We must admit that it is quite difficult now to imagine how all these innovations can work together in the real world. The new form factors will be available to users in five years. Be that as it may, there is time to assess the demand for new screens in the market.

Goodbye silicon chips ..?

The study of the electrical conductivity of graphene suggests that its properties as a semiconductor at room temperature make it possible to achieve superconductivity (for example, by adding normalized impurities to the natural 'honeycomb' structure of graphene). These findings suggest a potentially high demand for similar components for various computing technologies due to their ability to improve the speed and efficiency of the latter, especially with regard to overheating problems. In this area, more and more research is being carried out, the results of which constantly demonstrate a significant improvement in the thermal performance of microprocessors after applying several layers of graphene. When studying the process, scientists were able to lower the operating temperatures by more than 13 degrees, doubling the energy efficiency for every 10 degrees. And yes, that means graphene and the latest 2D materials will eventually replace standard silicon chips.

Some readers might be thinking, 'Yes, we all heard rumors of overheating in the first generation Snapdragon 810, the problems were solved in the second generation of the processor, which is installed, for example, in the Nexus 6P and the Xperia Z5 line. So what is it about this study and what good is it to us? '

The potential of graphene is beyond any meaningful changes we see as smartphones change generations. Graphene has the potential to reshape the entire structure of ultra-high performance computing in areas such as global climate prediction, space, large-scale information analysis and artificial intelligence research. These areas require more computing resources and efficiency and will always be relevant.

Over the past ten years, the IoT (Internet of Things) project has become increasingly evident, and in this regard, improved information processing and faster connections will also transform our daily life. Hopefully this will help us stay above stress. Graphene as a superconductor will be one of the key components that will enable higher processing speeds. The smartphone in its current form will retain its form factor, one should not expect a significant improvement in the speed of day-to-day operations, all because the processors are already very fast. However, as graphene hits the market, it's easy to imagine a feather-light version of Google Glass or a smartwatch that's less than 1.2cm thick. Of course, all devices will effectively connect and 'communicate' with each other.

In tandem with improvements in cloud supercomputing and speed of connections, such a trio of devices will be able to use 'mobile assistants' with individually built artificial intelligence. Just imagine the achievements in Google Now / Siri / Cortana over the past two years and multiply by one hundred.

Graphene, a superhero in 2D

Smart contact lens

It might be worth considering scenarios outside of the smartphone. I was recently told about the development of graphene multi-electrode structures for surgical implants. They are key components for the so-called brain-machine interface in neuroscience. This technology allows people with seizures or various diseases of the musculoskeletal system to compensate for the loss of information due to the disease using electrical stimulation of certain parts of the brain. Circuits like these will use graphene's superconductivity for faster transfer rates and biocompatibility.

Could graphene be the super material we've been waiting for? Sure, but it will take time to replace the mature silicon component industry. Just as the superior ones OLED did not gain a dominant position in the market, so graphene technologies will have to prove their superiority over silicon ones.

Original article, by Erdem Pulku

Elir: Despite the seemingly utopian nature of the narrative, the author described in rather detailed terms the advantages of graphene as a universal material for many components in various branches of technology. The advantage of new technologies will be impressive, there is no doubt about it, it remains only to wait for the active involvement of manufacturers in the 'graphene' race. The truly amazing properties of graphene are complemented by its ability to create three-dimensional structures by overlapping plates in a certain way, a la kirigami. Only a 'war' with silicon chips that won't give up so easily will be a fly in the ointment, thereby delaying innovation. The future is getting closer.

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