He is strong, he is flexible, he is already here. After extensive research in the laboratory, the first graphene-based products are starting to appear in the world of smartphones, batteries, transistors, sports equipment, virtual reality and even supercars. According to some people, this material was 'brought' to Earth by alien aliens many thousands of years ago.
Yes, it sounds a little implausible, but such a thin, durable, superconducting, and overall impressively comprehensive material certainly deserves such a theory. More than 60 years have passed since scientists and various manufacturing giants began researching graphene – however, it is only now beginning to fully unfold to revolutionize the many things we use every day.
3D Camera Sensors
If you were interested in the properties and applications of graphene, you probably heard that cameras made with graphene are 100 times more light-sensitive than those existing now.
So far this has not become a reality, but there are successes in this area – take, for example, an experiment at the University of Michigan, during which a camera was created that uses several translucent graphene sensors to create a 3D model of the environment, as a result of which it becomes possible to select a focus point already after taking a shot (something similar could be found in the smartphone HTC One M8, but it required two cameras, and the result was not so impressive). Graphene makes it possible to produce relatively easy and affordable cameras that are an alternative to expensive devices from Lytro. Graphene matrices differ in that they use only a few layers of the sensor – cameras from Lytro for the same effect require an array of hundreds of thousands of microlenses to create the same volumetric image.
Batteries that charge in a minute
Googling for information on graphene-based batteries and within literally five minutes you will find an incredible amount of data on the development of graphene batteries. The latest news of this kind came from the Chinese company Dongxu Optoelectronics, which has released a real product – a 4800 mAh external battery that will help you not to worry about suddenly discharged gadgets on vacation. The main feature of the device is its full charge within 15 minutes, which is three times less than modern smartphones with fast charging function and a significantly lower battery capacity.
There's also the Zap & Go charger, which uses technology that could ultimately replace lithium-ion batteries and charge our phones incredibly quickly. “It can fill up to half its capacity in just five minutes.” – says Quentin Lemarie, a member of the Zap & Go project. One of the biggest challenges in the tech industry right now is finding replacements for the lithium-ion batteries that are used everywhere today, from smartphones to electric vehicles. Some of the most promising experiments use a combination of graphene and silicon to replace Li-ion designs.
An article about such a battery was published in the British journal Nature in March 2016. It says that such a battery after 1000 recharging cycles retained twice the capacity than its lithium-ion counterpart. In comparison with gasoline engines, this is not a very significant advantage, but this solution could add at least about 250-350 kilometers to the electric car's range.
The foundation of future computer systems
One of the most promising uses for graphene – and also the least explored – is to use graphene as a replacement for silicon in computer chips. IBM and Intel stopped using graphene for their future chips in 2011, but this did not stop IBM in 2014 investing $ 3 million in materials research (including graphene ) capable of replacing silicon.
Perhaps graphene is the miracle material we need, but its main problem is that graphene is not a natural semiconductor, and therefore cannot be a universal solution, but only a part of it. In turn, the problem of modern silicon processors is the ever-less miniaturization of the technical process – a fundamental improvement in the efficiency of the processor. For comparison: the first Pentium processor of the early 1990s had 800nm transistors, and in 2006 Intel it switched to chipsets with 65nm transistors. Today's Skylake processors are manufactured using a 14 nm process technology. The closer this figure is to zero, the less potential remains in silicon.
The challenge facing engineers is to achieve as much energy efficiency as possible, as a result of which less heat will be generated, which will require a less powerful cooling system, which ultimately will increase the frequencies, reducing the rendering time of certain operations. Yes, we are still extremely far from the mass production of graphene processors, but in no case can people write them off.
World's smallest speakers
Conventional audio speakers are relatively simple devices, they use mechanical elements that move very quickly back and forth to trap air and thus create sound waves. The principle of operation of graphene-based acoustics is to replace membranes with airgel, due to which sound appears – and the denser this gel, the more powerful sound can be squeezed out of the speaker. At the moment, such devices exist only as laboratory developments, but it is already obvious that they can be reduced to a size suitable for use in mobile devices.
Environmentally friendly water
Graphene can also help us purify water, soil and air. One such solution is the Grafysorber from Directa Plus. It is a superabsorbent ideal for oil spills. According to the developers, “one gram of Grafysorber is capable of absorbing up to 90 grams of oil.” Thanks to this product, water can be purified even to a safe drinking level. “Typically, you should use biological or chemical processes to purify your water, but Grafysorber does not contain any chemicals.” – creators add
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Manipulator gloves
It's no secret that virtual reality in its current state lacks the authenticity of sensations. In order to make a difference, the VR industry needs completely new revolutionary controllers. Thanks to graphene, we have the opportunity to obtain ultra-responsive gloves that are sensitive to the smallest movements and temperature changes. “Graphene chips are printed in very thin layers and are very sensitive to deformation,” said Dr. Darryl Cotton, Senior Research Scientist at Nokia Research Center in Cambridge, “We also added a temperature sensor to the reduced graphene oxide design.”
The end result of the Cambridge team's work is a glove, crammed with multiple gauges and LEDs to indicate all changes in the glove's state. All the electrical components in the manipulator are so small that the resulting device can be used in virtual reality to monitor tiny finger movements.
Wearable electronics
Printed microscopic electronics and the Internet of Things are among the main trends in the near future, and graphene can significantly accelerate progress in this direction. There are a lot of ways to use graphene in printable electronics: first of all, it is worth considering the option of free wristbands with printed graphene chips, which help to track the number of people waiting for their flights at airports and passenger traffic on the subway to improve safety in these places. You can also, for example, use stickers with chips in stores to quickly get information about the availability of a particular product.
