TECHNOLOGY
Move over adamantium: The rise of graphene A newly found form of carbon may change the study of nanostructures and your iPod.
William Noell Wolverine's skeleton is covered in adamantium. Captain America's shield is made of vibranium. Very soon, super heroes will be using another substance when creating indestructible tools and suits of armor armor.. They'll be using graphene. What makes graphene better than adamantium or vibranium? Graphene
is real. The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics was recently awarded to two Russian-born British scientists, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov Novoselov,, for their work in demonstrating the properties and potential of this carbon allotrope. An allotrope is a pure, but structurally unique form of an element that both retains that element's essential properties and has unique
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traits. Carbon has more allotropes than any other element, including two with which most people are familiar: diamonds and graphite. Diamonds and graphite are both made of the exact same element, only structured differently.. One gives differently sparkle, the other dull gray.. Graphene is an gray allotrope that has only recently been discovered. Scientists recently predicted that it would be
there, but had no way of studying it. The reason it was impossible to study is that grapheme is small, tiny even. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like chicken wire or a honeycomb in which each cell has six sides. Being so thin and at is one of the reasons graphene is so unique. So thin is graphene, that when awarding the Nobel Prize, the academy called it "two-dimensional." In an article for Nature written by Geim and Novoselov themselves, they address just how many layers of such a thin sheet it would take to be considered 3D. Their experiments showed that graphene can be considered three-dimensional at 10 layers. layers. Any structure structure over 10 layers would have to be considered graphite. In order to isolate graphene for study, scientists had been using all of the most high tech
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200 times stronger than be able to be used in structural steel,” and the fabrication of much “would take an elephant, smaller transistors than balanced on a pencil, to silicon. Even better, the break through a sheet of conductivity as measured graphene the thickness by a report published in of Saran™ Wrap.” The International Journal The study of Carbon, shows graphene graphene is not just to have "the largest ever important because of reported value for a semithe way it was isolated conductor or a semimetusing what is called the al," making it a promising exfoliation method, but actor in the post-silicon because graphene has era." These electronic Doctors Andre Geim (left) and Konstantin Novoselov so many potential uses. wonders may be excitPerez and Ribeiro cite ing, but for them you will equipment they knew and were able to isolate "radiofrequency devices, have to wait. Geim and all of the most advanced graphene. Doctors N M R non-volatile memories, Novoselov don't believe practices they knew knew.. Perez and Ricardo Ritransparent electrodes that graphene research Finally, as with other beiro, in the New Journal in solar cells and liqwill be ready or that mass great advances in science, of Physics, call the prouid crystal displays" production of it will be graphene was found by cess of original isolation as products for which practical or cost-efcient accident. In order to break of graphene "simultanegraphene is already being enough for those advancthe graphite down into ously surprising researched. Liquid cryses for another 20 years. a small enough slice so and ingeniously simple tal displays are a good A little over 70 as to be called graphene, on the surface." example of how graphene years ago, according to Geim and Novoselov What they found could change many of Geim and Novosalev Novosalev,, had been making quite a was a highly conductive, the products you already researchers Landau and mess. It was impossible transThe two had one of those “serendipitous Peierls to cut graphite that thinly. thinly. parent argued Geim and Novoselov allotrope eureka moments” of science. that were using Scotch® tape of carbon - Miles O’Brien "strictly to clean the graphite from that just 2D cryswhich they were trying to happens own. Imagine dropping tals were thermodynamiextract graphene. Then, to be the strongest (meayour at-screen television cally unstable and could as Miles O’Brien, science sured) material on earth. or your mp3 player and not exist." Although journalist, describes it, Just how strong is “stronnot having to worry about Landau and Peirels were the two had one of those gest?” Research scientists the screen breaking. This incorrect, the practical “serendipitous eureka at Columbia University’ University’ss is the potential graphene. uses of graphene are still moments” of science. Fu Foundation School of As electronics years away. That such They decided to take a Engineering and Applied continue to shrink in a material does exist, look at the tape they had Science decided to measize, silicon transistors however, opens the door thrown away. sure just that. Using a have been nding limitalimitafor a new generation of By using adhesive very small piece of an altions on just how small electronics and building tape to peel off layer by ready small material, they they can be. Because of materials about which miniscule later of graphwere able to determine the simplistic structure many articles will ll this ite, Geim and Novoselov that graphene is “some of graphene, it should magazine. 25 l NewScientist l 16 October 2010
