What is Graphene & Why Should I Care?

If you have yet to hear of the wonder material graphene, chances are you're wondering just what it is and why you should care about it. For starters, graphene is a one atom-thick, perfectly aligned structure of carbon molecules. It was discovered in 2004 when scientists simply peeled a thin layer of graphite from a pencil using sticky tape (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167779911000199). Although this discovery seems trivial, graphene actually possesses chemical properties capable of dramatically changing the world. Now you may be wondering, how could something this simple possibly change the entire world? The secret lies within graphene's amazing chemical properties; its strength and nearly unparalleled thermal and electrical conductivity allows scientists and innovators to do magnitudes more with much, much less.

Graphene maintains a one atom-thick honeycomb pattern
source: http://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=3553

Along with being both abundant and affordable, graphene has the potential to heavily influence the spheres of recreation, industry, technology and even economy. To highlight just a few of its potentials, graphene is ideal for use with paints, plastics, computers, bioengineering, water filters, and more. Specific uses of the material range from dynamically tinting windows to aiding in the electrochemical detection of dopamine levels in the brain (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248109000691).

Graphene will even allow for bendable LCD screens
source: https://itechfuture.wordpress.com/category/future-of-cell-phones/

 Indeed, nearly any kind of technology can be improved by the use of graphene, and this blog will hopefully help you to understand why and how this is possible. The following video from Mashall Brain's howstuffworks blog article offers a brief overview of graphene and some of its exciting potential:

Every Day Can be a Graphene Day

Now that you get the general idea of graphene, its time to delve deeper into the reasons behind why one should plan to adopt graphene-based technology. Aside from the material's value in the domain of computing and biotechnology, graphene has uses that would benefit even your average consumer.

Scientists at the University of Manchester have recently implemented a graphene-based, paint-like substance with startling applicability. Due to graphene's inherent conducting properties, such a material could act as a hyper-efficient solar panel, allowing for an electrical current to flow through anything it touches; this means houses can be powered simply by the paint that covers them! Other uses for this paint include automatically recharging solar panels on devices such as smartphones and tablets, fully electrical cars with no charging requirement, and much, much more.

Graphene-based paint begins to take form at the University of  Manchester
source: http://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=3553

In addition to paint, graphene integrates magnificently with the plastic industry. Due to its lightweight yet durable nature, it could replace plastics used in cars, planes, and even space shuttles, resulting in a lighter, more fuel efficient design. Its electrical properties would also allow for this type of plastic to aid in the electrical processes that occur within these vehicles, thus eliminating electrical interference and promoting the response-rate of on-board computers (http://phys.org/news/2013-10-graphene-potential-carbon-atom-thick-material.html).

Although there are an abundance of technological uses for graphene, its presence will soon be felt across all walks of life. Scientists are beginning to develop applications of graphene that would result in stronger wind turbines, stronger and more flexible sports equipment, and even better quality medical implants. This is not to mention the impact graphene will soon have on biological engineering, which could be revolutionary. Early prototypes of graphene bio-metric sensory devices show the material is ideal for aiding in measuring of hemoglobin levels, glucose levels, and even DNA sequences. Some researchers even suggest that bioengineering with graphene could create an impressive antibiotic or cancer treatment (http://grapheneus.com/future-applications-of-graphene-in-biological-engineering/).

Not convinced enough to embrace the graphene lifestyle? Scientists at MIT have recently developed a graphene water filter, which can efficiently filter nearly any particles from water, including and especially salt. A cheap, easily producible water filter could not only standardize conversion of sea water to drinking water, but allow for families of all income ranges to own a high-tech water filter. Imagine a permanent solution to the issue of fresh water availability!

I urge you to research further the common applications of graphene, for if the previously described uses don't excite your desire to convert to the graphene way of life, the sheer multitude of additional uses will. Although these everyday uses may seem impressive, the realm in which graphene really shines is technology, specifically computing.

Graphene: Computing of the Future

Graphene may have far-reaching implications for the average person, but for tech nerds and geeks, it may be completely life-altering. For example, graphene is capable of enduring up to 10 degrees Celcius more heat energy than silicon, allowing for at least double the life span of silicon-based devices and lithium-ion batteries (http://gigaom.com/2013/07/05/graphene-may-give-us-cooler-longer-lasting-computers/).

To add more perspective, graphene could result in internet speeds up to one hundred times faster than current speeds, and computer processors that reach up to 1 THz. This means no more waiting for Youtube to load, and no more constant monitoring of web downloads; these kinds of things will become instantaneous. What's more, graphene may lead the way to entirely new technologies, such as electronic paper and bendable screens on electronic devices (http://phys.org/news/2013-10-graphene-potential-carbon-atom-thick-material.html). Naturally this tidbit of information should prompt computer enthusiasts everywhere to invest in graphene-based computing, but the real eye-popper is the effects graphene's discovery will have in the realm of quantum computing.

A prototypical quantum computing chip, manufactured by D-Wave Systems Inc.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computer

Quantum computing has long been theorized, but still seems somewhat distant in terms of implementation. Luckily, graphene's superconducting ability comes to the rescue. In order for quantum computing to exist, qubits, or the basic unit of information in quantum computers, must be transmitted at inconceivable speeds. According to a nature.com article Quantum Computers, graphene has excellent properties for hosting arrays of electron-based qubits, making it an ideal conductor for quantum computing. To put this in more technical terms, a 2007 article on the rise of graphene explains:

An extremely weak spin-orbit coupling and the absence of hyperfine interaction in C-graphene make it an excellent if not ideal material for making spin qubits. This guarantees graphene-based quantum computation to become an active research area. (http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v6/n3/full/nmat1849.html)

In short, graphene is the ideal superconductor for modern computation, and is paving the road towards computer that operate on a level that has yet to be conceptualized. Nearly arbitrarily fast computers means that infinite data could be stored and accessed in a matter of secods, allowing for faster-paced scientific research, communications, gaming, nearly everything. I shouldn't have to say it at this point, but you need to invest in graphene-based computing as soon as possible, maybe even right now.

An Economic Perspective

Okay, so you're not buying the whole "adopt a graphene-based lifestyle" despite the overwhelming of facts showing you should. Instead of using graphene then, you may want to consider investing in it. The wonder-material is still in its early stages of production, meaning shares are cheap, and the multidimensional applications it possesses imply a dramatic stock market impact.

In recent years, the price of graphite, graphene's ancestor, has been on the rise. This is due to a number of factors, but largely because China has been limiting graphite exports. Compared to the rest of the world, China owns 73% of all discovered graphite deposits, which means increased demand for every country interested in producing graphene. Currently there are only a few graphite sources within the United States, so as graphene demand manifests itself shares of these sources will grow exponentially. Additionally, as growth in the plastics industry with respect to graphene comes to be, there will be a huge global demand for graphite.

Northern Graphite, a Canadian-based mining company specializing in the acquisition of graphite, has grown in worth from $2 million to $40 million since 2008 due to this gradual, worldwide demand. Shares for their company are currently under $1.00, and if prices are to increase at a rate similar to that of copper, which, according to the Outsider Club in their report How to Invest in the Graphene Revolution, they will (at the very least), graphene shares could quadruple within the next decade. To illustrate this likely increase, the following chart shows graphite prices since 2004, the year graphene was discovered:

source: http://www.outsiderclub.com/report/how-to-invest-in-the-graphene-revolution/941

So, clearly the demand for graphite-based materials has been rising significantly in recent years, largely due to the world's interest in graphene. If you're still skeptical about its direct application to your life, you should at least consider purchasing graphite shares; the evidence for the rise of graphene is simply undeniable.