Potential Uses of Graphene

In simple words, graphene is a molecule comprising purely of carbon atoms. These atoms are linked to one another, forming a two-dimensional hexagonal pattern resembling a honeycomb.

For brevity, one can say that graphene is the structural unit of graphite. That is, several layers of graphene collectively form crystalline flake graphite.

Graphene has some astoundingly brilliant properties. If we are able to draw uses of graphene measuring up to its full potential, it could be the next miracle! In the recent few years, it has been the subject of countless research units and studies.

A breakthrough with graphene applications could be the end of plastics, electronics, and a lot of technology.

UCLA researchers have successfully developed graphene batteries that are non-toxic, cheap, and charge in no time. This development could be such a convenience in today's technology-dependent world. It could charge your iPhone in a record-breaking 5 seconds! Couldn't get any better than that.

Graphene can prove useful and highly efficient at detecting explosives. Though an initial design has been developed by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, it will take time to be implemented by bomb squads.

Graphene is ultra sleek, transparent, and unbelievably strong thus can be used in transparent electronic screens.

A normal capacitor stores charge between its two plates. A supercapacitor uses carbon layers in its two plates to increase the charge storage capacity. If we could successfully imbibe graphene in this technology, the energy stored could be enough to charge a laptop for days. This technology is expected to power a car and other main power appliances!

Graphene speakers have been developed in their most raw form at the moment, but what we can expect is that the sound will be superior to most commercial speakers in the market today. Not only that, the power consumption by graphene speakers should be substantially lesser than its counterparts.

Graphene oxide will make nuclear waste disposal from water bodies easier than ever before. On being mixed with radioactive waste, graphene oxide turns into clumps, which in turn can be easily removed from any water body. Rice University and Lomonosov Moscow State University were the first to discover this miraculous property of graphene.

Owing to its shape-retaining properties, graphene may be implemented to design artificial human muscles. Once again, even if we're successful at doing so, there's still a lot of time to come before we can expect to see one of these in reality.

Rust is a small yet troublesome problem, especially in large machinery. Graphene's water-repellent properties can be utilized to prevent rust. SUNY Buffalo chemists were successful at creating a coating that can prevent steel from rusting for up to 1 month when submerged in brine solution.

Imbibing graphene as a conductor in touchscreens will propel the replacement of glass with plastic, making the screens practically indestructible. With Samsung trying to monopolize on this technology aggressively, we can expect cheaper smartphones with touchscreens that are more durable accompanied by glare reduction.

Graphite oxide membranes are known to be great filters. They successfully filter out all liquids and gases other than water. For argument sake, if you had two membranes of graphene paper, you could distill your own vodka in no time!

Graphene is expected to give a makeover to biomedical engineering. If we utilize the element to its full potential, new-age bionic devices will be above and beyond our imagination! Devices like these could connect to our neurons and heal the human body in ways we've never fathomed.

MIT researchers are devising a filter using graphene, which can segregate salts from water. This undoubtedly is the coolest potential use of this super element. However, it's just an idea for the moment, so hold your horses!