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Graphene Completes 20 Years Since It Was Discovered and Now Revolutionizes the Automotive Industry, Electronics, Plastics, and Much More. Discover All the News About This Revolutionary Material.
Almost 20 years ago, two physicists from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, published a paper on the effect of electric fields on atomically thin carbon films. The work described the extraordinary electronic properties of graphene, a crystalline form of carbon equivalent to a single layer of graphite, just one atom thick. Learn how this revolutionary material could change the automotive industry.
Why Is Graphene Considered a Revolutionary Material?
The work was quickly replicated and produced by scientists worldwide. New methods for producing graphene were conceived. Incredible claims about its properties made it sound like something out of a Stan Lee comic book.
Graphene is stronger than steel, highly flexible, super slippery, and impermeable to gases. Furthermore, the revolutionary material can be a better electronic conductor than copper and a better thermal conductor than diamond, in addition to being virtually invisible and exhibiting a range of exotic quantum properties.
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Ethiopia has banned gasoline and diesel cars, placed over a hundred silent electric buses on the streets of Addis Ababa, and now aims for half a million electric vehicles by 2030, all powered by Africa’s largest dam and a courage that few countries have shown.
Graphene has been hailed as a revolutionary material, promising ultra-fast electronics, supercomputers, and super-tough materials. More fantastic claims included special elevators, solar sails, artificial retinas, and even invisibility cloaks.
Just six years after their initial work, researchers won the Nobel Prize in Physics, further fueling enthusiasm around graphene, particularly in the automotive industry. Since then, hundreds of thousands of academic papers have been published on graphene and related materials.
Can Graphene Revolutionize the Automotive Industry?
In terms of public perception, it is fair to say that graphene has been subjected to some realistic expectations. It can be said that this revolutionary material might even be useful, helping to drive new technologies.
Similarly, however, there can be a negative reaction when progress seems disappointing. That said, revolutionary technologies in the automotive industry, plastics, and electronics have required decades of development. Graphene is still a newcomer, so it is too early to draw conclusions about its impact.
What has happened is a constant integration of graphene into a range of other practical applications. Much of this is due to the Graphene Flagship, an important European research initiative coordinated by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. The aim is to take graphene and related materials from academic research to real-world commercial applications, and as a result, over 90 products have been developed in the last decade.
Where Is the Revolutionary Material Being Used?
The uses of graphene in the automotive industry and many others are diverse. These include mixed plastics for high-performance sports equipment, more durable racing tires for bicycles, motorcycle helmets that better distribute impact forces, thermally conductive coatings for motorcycle components, and lubricants to reduce friction and wear between mechanical parts.
Graphene is finding its place in batteries and supercapacitors, allowing for faster charging and longer lifespan. Graphene conductive paints are now being used to produce sensors, wireless tracking tags, heating elements, and electromagnetic shielding to protect sensitive electronics.
Graphene is also used in headphones to improve sound quality and as a more efficient form of heat transfer in air conditioning units. Graphene oxide products are being used for desalination, wastewater treatment, and drinking water purification. Meanwhile, a variety of graphene materials can be purchased for use in a range of other products.
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