So, Graphene, the new wonder material…

This should change our lives, right? http://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/
I mean, it can’t be long before we’re riding graphene bikes and wearing graphene helmets and that.

The potential for energy storage is quite interesting with graphene.

But will it bring trails alive like 650b?

we are doing work with it, its pretty impressive for some applications….

Ooh, tell me more! Do you have to use shitloads of Sellotape to extract it? ;0)

it needs a better name, graphene is a bit wet.
it should be called graphuju or graphermondo or megagraphenomotron.

Is graphene the unicorn we need to ringfence?

Gnarrphine

(semi-stolen from the best post thread)

But will it bring trails alive like 650b?

650B graphene? You could pretty much draw your own black hole then get sucked into it with a pencil that dark

😀

maccruiskeen…

😀 😀

Imagine the media hype if you could combine Graphene and 3D printers…..

matt_outandabout – Member
Is graphene the unicorn we need to ringfence?

It’s the fence, silly

Graphene is a two dimensional material consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb or chicken wire structure

Imagine the media hype if you could combine Graphene and 3D printers…..

The mail and / or express will hail both as a cure, or cause, of cancer by mid 2014

I met Andre Geim a while back… Barely understood a word he said 😆 Partly because I had to concentrate really hard to avoid calling him Ed Gein.

It is fascinating stuff, I love that instead of going “We need a new material to do X” it’s more or less gone “We’ve got a new material. Let’s see what we can do with it”

We’ve got a new material. Let’s see what we can do with it

arranged in a honeycomb or chicken wire structure

can I suggest….. chicken wire?

technology in search of an application.

Bigrich – you put it on wet logs.

We’ve got a new material. Let’s see what we can do with it
arranged in a honeycomb or chicken wire structure
can I suggest….. chicken wire?

Failing that.

Honeycomb ?

We make the machines at work for creating graphene. We are currently selling loads to research institutes all over the world.
I hope someone finds a commercial use for it!

technology in search of an application.

IIRC lasers were once described as “a solution looking for a problem”. Think they did ok in the end…

Graphene batteries in electric cars = game changer

There’s a 60 million quid graphene institute taking shape round the corner here in Manchester, so I hope it can deliver. It would be embarrassing for UK science if it fell on its aris. There’s definitely a POV that it’s useless – Have heard some serious materials people advance this argument over a few bevvies. Phenomenally interesting substance to study, but will never be stable enough for real macromolecular applications. Of course they have their own pet materials under development in their labs, so maybe resent the graphene agenda steam-rolling everything.

We’ve tried to use it for some redox catalysis applications in my lab, but only at the messing about level. It’s not easily adaptable to the rough and tumble conditions of a typical chemical reaction – think we need more expertise in how to handle it.
Used graphene oxide with some success – that’s an oxidised version of few-layer graphene. Still a tricky customer – not very stable.

bigrich – Member
technology in search of an application.

Loads of useful tech starts out exactly that way, possibly even most of it.

Given the quantity of patents being filed for graphene, you’d hope that this isnt’ just pie in the sky….

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20975580

So, after listening to the over-excited advert bloke… “The list is endless”…? How many things on the list so far?

So, after listening to the over-excited advert bloke… “The list is endless”…? How many things on the list so far?

None ?

(Which technically makes it endless I suppose?)

Where do buckyballs fit into the whole graphene thing, or are they not related?

Graphene is a two dimensional material

😯

I think the issue is that the applications in the short term are not that exiting ie all the talk of its strength etc will be difficult to use practically in the short term. In electronics the picture changes somewhat as it posseses characteristics which are very desirable and are worth persuing along with other materials which up to now have been limited by existing technologies which graphine IN THEORY overcomes.

Imagine the media hype if you could combine Graphene and 3D printers…..

guy I know at work who does a load of 3d printing stuff also has something to do with graphene, hmmmm.

obelix – Member

Where do buckyballs fit into the whole graphene thing, or are they not related? They’re somewhat related I guess – buckyballs are 60 carbon atoms in a football shape (you can also get bigger ones); their discovery was the birth of new carbon allotrope chemistry which graphene is part of. Led to a Nobel prize and a huge number of fundamental studies, but no real applications outside of the lab AFAIK. So everyone is hoping that graphene is not C60 mark2, in terms of impact on everyday life.

The link between the two is carbon nanotubes – like a rolled up sheet of graphene, or an opened and elongated C60 molecule. Loads of potential applications here – massive area of research.

So everyone is hoping that graphene is not C60 mark2, in terms of impact on everyday life.

The link between the two is carbon nanotubes – like a rolled up sheet of graphene, or an opened and elongated C60 molecule. Loads of potential applications here – massive area of research.
I thought for a moment that there was going to be a cassette revival!

I won’t hold me breath. The possible application claims reads very similar to what people were claiming for conducting polymers in the mid to late 90’s and they’ve yet to make a significant impact outside a few areas. Certainly nothing on the impact the of the claims at the time. But then it makes sense for the researchers to oversell the possible applications to get more research funding.

conductive polymers…. good lord, that be a dirty word round here… 🙂

I thought they were ear-marked to make the cables/support for spacelifts?

EDIT: when rolled into tubes…

Its very refreshing to see that the team that created it have chosen not to patent it to enable anyone to have a play with it, make the stuff and see what they can come up with.