Potential applications of graphene
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Potential graphene applications include lightweight, thin, and flexible electric/photonics circuits, solar cells, and various medical, chemical and industrial processes enhanced or enabled by the use of new graphene materials, and favoured by massive cost decreases in graphene production.[1][2][3]
Medicine
Researchers in 2011 discovered the ability of graphene to accelerate the
In 2015 researchers used graphene to create biosensors with epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide. The sensors bind to
In 2016 researchers revealed that uncoated graphene can be used as neuro-interface electrode without altering or damaging properties such as signal strength or formation of scar tissue. Graphene electrodes in the body are significantly more stable than electrodes of tungsten or silicon because of properties such as flexibility, bio-compatibility and conductivity.[7]
Tissue engineering
Graphene has been investigated for tissue engineering. It has been used as a reinforcing agent to improve the mechanical properties of biodegradable polymeric nanocomposites for engineering bone tissue applications.[8] Dispersion of low weight % of graphene (≈0.02 wt.%) increased in compressive and flexural mechanical properties of polymeric nanocomposites.[9] The addition of graphene nanoparticles in the polymer matrix lead to improvements in the crosslinking density of the nanocomposite and better load transfer from the polymer matrix to the underlying nanomaterial thereby increasing the mechanical properties.
Contrast agents, bioimaging
Functionalized and surfactant dispersed graphene solutions have been designed as blood pool
Polymerase chain reaction
Graphene is reported to have enhanced
Devices
Graphene's modifiable chemistry, large surface area per unit volume, atomic thickness and molecularly gateable structure make antibody-functionalized graphene sheets excellent candidates for mammalian and microbial detection and diagnosis devices.[16] Graphene is so thin that water has near-perfect wetting transparency which is an important property particularly in developing bio-sensor applications.[17] This means that a sensor coated in graphene has as much contact with an aqueous system as an uncoated sensor, while remaining protected mechanically from its environment.
Integration of graphene (thickness of 0.34 nm) layers as nanoelectrodes into a nanopore[18] can potentially solve a bottleneck for nanopore-based single-molecule DNA sequencing.
On November 20, 2013, the
In 2014, graphene-based, transparent (across infrared to ultraviolet frequencies), flexible, implantable medical sensor microarrays were announced that allow the viewing of brain tissue hidden by implants. Optical transparency was greater than 90%. Applications demonstrated include optogenetic activation of focal cortical areas, in vivo imaging of cortical vasculature via fluorescence microscopy and 3D optical coherence tomography.[20][21]
Drug delivery
Researchers at Monash University discovered that a sheet of graphene oxide can be transformed into liquid crystal droplets spontaneously—like a polymer—simply by placing the material in a solution and manipulating the pH. The graphene droplets change their structure in the presence of an external magnetic field. This finding raises the possibility of carrying a drug in graphene droplets and releasing the drug upon reaching the targeted tissue by making the droplets change shape in a magnetic field. Another possible application is in disease detection if graphene is found to change shape at the presence of certain disease markers such as toxins.[22][23]
A graphene 'flying carpet' was demonstrated to deliver two anti-cancer drugs sequentially to the lung tumor cells (
The development of nanotechnology and molecular biology has provided the improvement of nanomaterials with specific properties which are now able to overcome the weaknesses of traditional disease diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Biomicrorobotics
Researchers demonstrated a nanoscale biomicrorobot (or cytobot) made by cladding a living endospore cell with graphene quantum dots. The device acted as a humidity sensor.[30]
Testing
In 2014 a graphene based blood glucose testing product was announced.[31][32]
Biosensors
Graphene based FRET biosensors can detect DNA and the unwinding of DNA using different probes.[33]
Gene editing
Researchers at Binghamton University have developed a methodology to utilize graphene as a DNA polymerase buffer to facilitate direct manipulation of nucleotides.[34]
Electronics
Graphene has a high
Transistors
Both chemically controlled and voltage controlled graphene transistors have been built.
Graphene-based transistors could be much thinner than modern silicon devices, allowing faster and smaller configurations.[36]
Graphene exhibits a pronounced response to perpendicular external electric fields, potentially forming
A patent for graphene-based electronics was issued in 2006.
A 2008 paper demonstrated a switching effect based on reversible chemical modification of the graphene layer that gives an on–off ratio of greater than six orders of magnitude. These reversible switches could potentially be employed in nonvolatile memories.[44] IBM announced in December 2008 graphene transistors operating at GHz frequencies.[45]
In 2009, researchers demonstrated four different types of
In the same year, tight-binding numerical simulations[50] demonstrated that the band-gap induced in graphene bilayer field effect transistors is not sufficiently large for high-performance transistors for digital applications, but can be sufficient for ultra-low voltage applications, when exploiting a tunnel-FET architecture.[51]
In February 2010, researchers announced graphene transistors with an on-off rate of 100 gigahertz, far exceeding prior rates, and exceeding the speed of silicon transistors with an equal gate length. The 240 nm devices were made with conventional silicon-manufacturing equipment.[52][53][54] According to a January 2010 report,[55] graphene was epitaxially grown on SiC in a quantity and with quality suitable for mass production of integrated circuits. At high temperatures, the quantum Hall effect could be measured. IBM built 'processors' using 100 GHz transistors on 2-inch (51 mm) graphene sheets.[56]
In June 2011, IBM researchers announced the first graphene-based wafer-scale integrated circuit, a broadband radio mixer.
In 2013, researchers demonstrated graphene's high mobility in a detector that allows broad band frequency selectivity ranging from the THz to IR region (0.76–33 THz)
The negative differential resistance experimentally observed in graphene field-effect transistors of conventional design allows for construction of viable non-Boolean computational architectures. The negative differential resistance—observed under certain biasing schemes—is an intrinsic property of graphene resulting from its symmetric band structure. The results present a conceptual change in graphene research and indicate an alternative route for graphene applications in information processing.[62]
In 2013 researchers created transistors printed on flexible plastic that operate at 25 gigahertz, sufficient for communications circuits and that can be fabricated at scale. The researchers first fabricated non-graphene-containing structures—the electrodes and gates—on plastic sheets. Separately, they grew large graphene sheets on metal, then peeled them and transferred them to the plastic. Finally, they topped the sheet with a waterproof layer. The devices work after being soaked in water, and were flexible enough to be folded.[63]
In 2015 researchers devised a digital switch by perforating a graphene sheet with boron-nitride nanotubes that exhibited a switching ratio of 105 at a turn-on voltage of 0.5 V. Density functional theory suggested that the behavior came from the mismatch of the density of states.[64]
Single atom
In 2008, a one atom thick, 10 atoms wide transistor was made of graphene.[65]
In 2022, researchers built a 0.34 nanometer (on state) single atom graphene transistor, smaller than a related device that used carbon nanotubes instead of graphene. The graphene formed the gate. Silicon dioxide was used as the base. The graphene sheet was formed via
2O
x and SiO
2 sandwiching the graphene act as insulators. They then etched into the sandwiched materials, cutting away the graphene and Al
2O
x to create a step that exposed the edge of the graphene. They then added layers of hafnium oxide and molybdenum disulfide (another 2D material) to the top, side, and bottom of the step. Electrodes were then added to the top and bottom as source and drain. They call this construction a "sidewall transistor". The on/off ratio reached 1.02 × 105 and subthreshold swing values were 117 mV dec–1.[66]
Trilayer
An electric field can change trilayer graphene's crystal structure, transforming its behavior from metal-like into semiconductor-like. A sharp metal
Silicon transistors are either p-type or n-type, whereas graphene can operate as both. This lowers costs and is more versatile. The technique provides the basis for a field-effect transistor.[67]
In trilayer graphene, the two stacking configurations exhibit different electronic properties. The region between them consists of a localized strain soliton where the carbon atoms of one graphene layer shift by the carbon–carbon bond distance. The free-energy difference between the two stacking configurations scales quadratically with electric field, favoring rhombohedral stacking as the electric field increases.[67]
This ability to control the stacking order opens the way to new devices that combine structural and electrical properties.[67][68]
Transparent conducting electrodes
Graphene's high electrical conductivity and high optical transparency make it a candidate for transparent conducting electrodes, required for such applications as
Large-area, continuous, transparent and highly conducting few-layered graphene films were produced by chemical vapor deposition and used as
A carbon-based device called a light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) was demonstrated with chemically-derived graphene as the cathode and the conductive polymer Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) as the anode.[77] Unlike its predecessors, this device contains only carbon-based electrodes, with no metal.[citation needed]
In 2014 a prototype graphene-based flexible display was demonstrated.[78]
In 2016 researchers demonstrated a display that used interferometry modulation to control colors, dubbed a "graphene balloon device" made of silicon containing 10 μm circular cavities covered by two graphene sheets. The degree of curvature of the sheets above each cavity defines the color emitted. The device exploits the phenomena known as Newton's rings created by interference between light waves bouncing off the bottom of the cavity and the (transparent) material. Increasing the distance between the silicon and the membrane increased the wavelength of the light. The approach is used in colored e-reader displays and smartwatches, such as the Qualcomm Toq. They use silicon materials instead of graphene. Graphene reduces power requirements.[79]
Frequency multiplier
In 2009, researchers built experimental graphene frequency multipliers that take an incoming signal of a certain frequency and output a signal at a multiple of that frequency.[80][81][82]
Optoelectronics
Graphene strongly interacts with photons, with the potential for direct band-gap creation. This is promising for
Hall effect sensors
Due to extremely high electron mobility, graphene may be used for production of highly sensitive
Quantum dots
Graphene
Organic electronics
A semiconducting polymer (
Spintronics
Large-area graphene created by
Spintronics is used in disk drives for data storage and in magnetic random-access memory. Electronic spin is generally short-lived and fragile, but the spin-based information in current devices needs to travel only a few nanometers. However, in processors, the information must cross several tens of micrometers with aligned spins. Graphene is the only known candidate for such behavior.[92]
Conductive ink
In 2012 Vorbeck Materials started shipping the Siren anti-theft packaging device, which uses their graphene-based Vor-Ink circuitry to replace the metal antenna and external wiring to an
Light processing
Optical modulator
When the Fermi level of graphene is tuned, its optical absorption can be changed. In 2011, researchers reported the first graphene-based optical modulator. Operating at 1.2 GHz without a temperature controller, this modulator has a broad bandwidth (from 1.3 to 1.6 μm) and small footprint (~25 μm2).[95]
A Mach-Zehnder modulator based on a hybrid graphene-silicon waveguide has been demonstrated recently, which can process signals nearly chirp-free.[96] An extinction up to 34.7 dB and a minimum chirp parameter of -0.006 are obtained. Its insertion loss is roughly -1.37 dB.
Ultraviolet lens
A hyperlens is a real-time super-resolution lens that can transform evanescent waves into propagating waves and thus break the diffraction limit. In 2016 a hyperlens based on dielectric layered graphene and h-boron nitride (h-BN) can surpass metal designs. Based on its anisotropic properties, flat and cylindrical hyperlenses were numerically verified with layered graphene at 1200 THz and layered h-BN at 1400 THz, respectively.[97] In 2016 a 1-nm thick graphene microlens that can image objects the size of a single bacterium. The lens was created by spraying a sheet of graphene oxide solution, then molding the lens using a laser beam. It can resolve objects as small as 200 nanometers, and see into the near infrared. It breaks the diffraction limit and achieve a focal length less than half the wavelength of light. Possible applications include thermal imaging for mobile phones, endoscopes, nanosatellites and photonic chips in supercomputers and superfast broadband distribution.[98]
Infrared light detection
Graphene reacts to the infrared spectrum at room temperature, albeit with sensitivity 100 to 1000 times too low for practical applications. However, two graphene layers separated by an insulator allowed an electric field produced by holes left by photo-freed electrons in one layer to affect a current running through the other layer. The process produces little heat, making it suitable for use in night-vision optics. The sandwich is thin enough to be integrated in handheld devices, eyeglass-mounted computers and even contact lenses.[99]
Photodetector
A graphene/n-type silicon heterojunction has been demonstrated to exhibit strong rectifying behavior and high photoresponsivity. By introducing a thin interfacial oxide layer, the dark current of graphene/n-Si heterojunction has been reduced by two orders of magnitude at zero bias. At room temperature, the graphene/n-Si photodetector with interfacial oxide exhibits a specific detectivity up to 5.77 × 1013 cm Hz1/2 W2 at the peak wavelength of 890 nm in vacuum. In addition, the improved graphene/n-Si heterojunction photodetectors possess high responsivity of 0.73 A W−1 and high photo-to-dark current ratio of ≈107. These results demonstrate that graphene/Si heterojunction with interfacial oxide is promising for the development of high detectivity photodetectors.[100] Recently, a graphene/si Schottky photodetector with record-fast response speed (< 25 ns) from wavelength 350 nm to 1100 nm are presented.[101] The photodetectors exhibit excellent long-term stability even stored in air for more than 2 years. These results not only advance the development of high-performance photodetectors based on the graphene/Si Schottky junction, but also have important implications for mass-production of graphene-based photodetector array devices for cost-effective environmental monitoring, medical images, free-space communications, photoelectric smart-tracking, and integration with CMOS circuits for emerging interest-of-things applications, etc.
Energy
Generation
Ethanol distillation
Graphene oxide membranes allow water vapor to pass through, but are impermeable to other liquids and gases.[102] This phenomenon has been used for further distilling of vodka to higher alcohol concentrations, in a room-temperature laboratory, without the application of heat or vacuum as used in traditional distillation methods.
Solar cells
Graphene has been used on different substrates such as Si, CdS and CdSe to produce Schottky junction solar cells. Through the properties of graphene, such as graphene's work function, solar cell efficiency can be optimized. An advantage of graphene electrodes is the ability to produce inexpensive Schottky junction solar cells.[103]
Charge conductor
Graphene solar cells use graphene's unique combination of high electrical conductivity and optical transparency.
Light collector
Using graphene as a photoactive material requires its bandgap to be 1.4–1.9 eV. In 2010, single cell efficiencies of nanostructured graphene-based PVs of over 12% were achieved. According to P. Mukhopadhyay and R. K. Gupta
In 2008, chemical vapor deposition produced graphene sheets by depositing a graphene film made from methane gas on a nickel plate. A protective layer of thermoplastic is laid over the graphene layer and the nickel underneath is then dissolved in an acid bath. The final step is to attach the plastic-coated graphene to a flexible polymer sheet, which can then be incorporated into a PV cell. Graphene/polymer sheets range in size up to 150 square centimeters and can be used to create dense arrays.[107]
Silicon generates only one current-driving electron for each photon it absorbs, while graphene can produce multiple electrons. Solar cells made with graphene could offer 60% conversion efficiency.[108]
Electrode
In 2010, researchers first reported creating a graphene-silicon heterojunction solar cell, where graphene served as a transparent electrode and introduced a built-in electric field near the interface between the graphene and n-type silicon to help collect charge carriers.[109] In 2012 researchers reported efficiency of 8.6% for a prototype consisting of a silicon wafer coated with trifluoromethanesulfonyl-amide (TFSA) doped graphene. Doping increased efficiency to 9.6% in 2013.[110] In 2015 researchers reported efficiency of 15.6% by choosing the optimal oxide thickness on the silicon.[111] This combination of carbon materials with traditional silicon semiconductors to fabricate solar cells has been a promising field of carbon science.[112]
In 2013, another team reported 15.6% percent by combining titanium oxide and graphene as a charge collector and perovskite as a sunlight absorber. The device is manufacturable at temperatures under 150 °C (302 °F) using solution-based deposition. This lowers production costs and offers the potential using flexible plastics.[113]
In 2015, researchers developed a prototype cell that used semitransparent perovskite with graphene electrodes. The design allowed light to be absorbed from both sides. It offered efficiency of around 12 percent with estimated production costs of less than $0.06/watt. The graphene was coated with PEDOT:PSS conductive polymer (polythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate). Multilayering graphene via CVD created transparent electrodes reducing sheet resistance. Performance was further improved by increasing contact between the top electrodes and the hole transport layer.[114]
Fuel cells
Appropriately perforated graphene (and hexagonal boron nitride hBN) can allow protons to pass through it, offering the potential for using graphene monolayers as a barrier that blocks hydrogen atoms but not protons/ionized hydrogen (hydrogen atoms with their electrons stripped off). They could even be used to extract hydrogen gas out of the atmosphere that could power electric generators with ambient air.[115]
The membranes are more effective at elevated temperatures and when covered with catalytic nanoparticles such as platinum.[115]
Graphene could solve a major problem for fuel cells: fuel crossover that reduces efficiency and durability.[115]
In methanol fuel cells, graphene used as a barrier layer in the membrane area, has reduced fuel cross over with negligible proton resistance, improving the performance.[116]
At room temperature, proton conductivity with monolayer hBN, outperforms graphene, with resistivity to proton flow of about 10 Ω cm2 and a low activation energy of about 0.3 electronvolts. At higher temperatures, graphene outperforms with resistivity estimated to fall below 10−3 Ω cm2 above 250 degrees Celsius.[117]
In another project, protons easily pass through slightly imperfect graphene membranes on fused
Thermoelectrics
Adding 0.6% graphene to a mixture of lanthanum and partly reduced strontium titanium oxide produces a strong
Condenser coating
In 2015 a graphene coating on steam condensers quadrupled condensation efficiency, increasing overall plant efficiency by 2–3 percent.[122]
Storage
Supercapacitor
Due to graphene's high surface-area-to-mass ratio, one potential application is in the conductive plates of supercapacitors.[123]
In February 2013 researchers announced a novel technique to produce graphene supercapacitors based on the DVD burner reduction approach.[124]
In 2014 a supercapacitor was announced that was claimed to achieve energy density comparable to current lithium-ion batteries.[31][32]
In 2015 the technique was adapted to produce stacked, 3-D
Also in 2015 another project announced a microsupercapacitor that is small enough to fit in wearable or implantable devices. Just one-fifth the thickness of a sheet of paper, it is capable of holding more than twice as much charge as a comparable thin-film lithium battery. The design employed laser-scribed graphene, or LSG with
In May 2015 a boric acid-infused, laser-induced graphene supercapacitor tripled its areal energy density and increased its volumetric energy density 5-10 fold. The new devices proved stable over 12,000 charge-discharge cycles, retaining 90 percent of their capacitance. In stress tests, they survived 8,000 bending cycles.[129][130]
Batteries
Silicon-graphene anode lithium ion batteries were demonstrated in 2012.[131]
Stable lithium ion cycling was demonstrated in bi- and few layer graphene films grown on nickel substrates,[132] while single layer graphene films have been demonstrated as a protective layer against corrosion in battery components such as the battery case.[133] This creates possibilities for flexible electrodes for microscale Li-ion batteries, where the anode acts as the active material and the current collector.[134]
Researchers built a lithium-ion battery made of graphene and silicon, which was claimed to last over a week on one charge and took only 15 minutes to charge.[135]
In 2015 argon-ion based plasma processing was used to bombard graphene samples with argon ions. That knocked out some carbon atoms and increased the capacitance of the materials three-fold. These "armchair" and "zigzag" defects are named based on the configurations of the carbon atoms that surround the holes.[136][137]
In 2016, Huawei announced graphene-assisted lithium-ion batteries with greater heat tolerance and twice the life span of traditional Lithium-Ion batteries, the component with the shortest life span in mobile phones.[138][139][140]
Graphene with controlled topological defects has been demonstrated to adsorb more ions, resulting in high-efficiency batteries.[141][142]
Transmission
Conducting Wire
Due to
Graphene-copper composite conductors are a promising alternative to standard conductors in high-power applications.
In 2013, researchers demonstrated a one-hundred-fold increase in current carrying capacity with carbon nanotube-copper composite wires when compared to traditional copper wire. These composite wires exhibited a temperature coefficient of resistivity an order of magnitude smaller than copper wires, an important feature for high load applications.[145]
Graphene-clad wire
Additionally, in 2021, researchers demonstrated a 4.5 times increase in the current density breakdown limit of copper wire with an axially continuous graphene shell. The copper wire was coated by a continuous graphene sheet through
Sensors
Biosensors
Graphene does not oxidize in air or in biological fluids, making it an attractive material for use as a biosensor.[148] A graphene circuit can be configured as a field effect biosensor by applying biological capture molecules and blocking layers to the graphene, then controlling the voltage difference between the graphene and the liquid that includes the biological test sample. Of the various types of graphene sensors that can be made, biosensors were the first to be available for sale.[149]
Pressure sensors
The electronic properties of graphene/h-BN heterostructures can be modulated by changing the interlayer distances via applying external pressure, leading to potential realization of atomic thin pressure sensors. In 2011 researchers proposed an in-plane pressure sensor consisting of graphene sandwiched between hexagonal boron nitride and a tunneling pressure sensor consisting of h-BN sandwiched by graphene.[150] The current varies by 3 orders of magnitude as pressure increases from 0 to 5 nN/nm2. This structure is insensitive to the number of wrapping h-BN layers, simplifying process control. Because h-BN and graphene are inert to high temperature, the device could support ultra-thin pressure sensors for application under extreme conditions.
In 2016 researchers demonstrated a biocompatible pressure sensor made from mixing graphene flakes with cross-linked polysilicone (found in
NEMS
Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) can be designed and characterized by understanding the interaction and coupling between the mechanical, electrical, and the van der Waals energy domains. Quantum mechanical limit governed by Heisenberg uncertainty relation decides the ultimate precision of nanomechanical systems. Quantum squeezing can improve the precision by reducing quantum fluctuations in one desired amplitude of the two quadrature amplitudes. Traditional NEMS hardly achieve quantum squeezing due to their thickness limits. A scheme to obtain squeezed quantum states through typical experimental graphene NEMS structures taking advantages of its atomic scale thickness has been proposed.[152]
Molecular absorption
Theoretically graphene makes an excellent sensor due to its 2D structure. The fact that its entire volume is exposed to its surrounding environment makes it very efficient to detect
Piezoelectric effect
Density functional theory simulations predict that depositing certain adatoms on graphene can render it piezoelectrically responsive to an electric field applied in the out-of-plane direction. This type of locally engineered piezoelectricity is similar in magnitude to that of bulk piezoelectric materials and makes graphene a candidate for control and sensing in nanoscale devices.[155]
Body motion
Promoted by the demand for wearable devices, graphene has been proved to be a promising material for potential applications in flexible and highly sensitive strain sensors. An environment-friendly and cost-effective method to fabricate large-area ultrathin graphene films is proposed for highly sensitive flexible strain sensor. The assembled graphene films are derived rapidly at the liquid/air interface by Marangoni effect and the area can be scaled up. These graphene-based strain sensors exhibit extremely high sensitivity with gauge factor of 1037 at 2% strain, which represents the highest value for graphene platelets at this small deformation so far.[156]
Rubber bands infused with graphene ("G-bands") can be used as inexpensive body sensors. The bands remain pliable and can be used as a sensor to measure breathing, heart rate, or movement. Lightweight sensor suits for vulnerable patients could make it possible to remotely monitor subtle movement. These sensors display 10×104-fold increases in resistance and work at strains exceeding 800%. Gauge factors of up to 35 were observed. Such sensors can function at vibration frequencies of at least 160 Hz. At 60 Hz, strains of at least 6% at strain rates exceeding 6000%/s can be monitored.[157]
Magnetic
In 2015 researchers announced a graphene-based magnetic sensor 100 times more sensitive than an equivalent device based on silicon (7,000 volts per amp-tesla). The sensor substrate was hexagonal boron nitride. The sensors were based on the Hall effect, in which a magnetic field induces a Lorentz force on moving electric charge carriers, leading to deflection and a measurable Hall voltage. In the worst case graphene roughly matched a best case silicon design. In the best case graphene required lower source current and power requirements.[158]
Environmental
Contaminant removal
Graphene oxide is non-toxic and biodegradable. Its surface is covered with epoxy, hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups that interact with cations and anions. It is soluble in water and forms stable
Water filtration
Research suggests that graphene filters could outperform other techniques of desalination by a significant margin.[159]
In 2021, researchers found that a reusable graphene foam could efficiently filter uranium (and possibly other heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium) from water at the rate of 4 grams of uranium/gram of graphene.[160]
Permeation barrier
Instead of allowing the permeation, blocking is also necessary. Gas permeation barriers are important for almost all applications ranging from food, pharmaceutical, medical, inorganic and organic electronic devices, etc. packaging. It extends the life of the product and allows keeping the total thickness of devices small. Being atomically thin, defectless graphene is impermeable to all gases. In particular, ultra-thin moisture permeation barrier layers based on graphene are shown to be important for organic-FETs and OLEDs.[161][162] Graphene barrier applications in biological sciences are under study.
Other
Art preservation
In 2021, researchers reported that a graphene veil reversibly applied via chemical vapor deposition was able to preserve the colors in art objects (70%).[163][164]
Aviation
In 2016, researchers developed a prototype de-icing system that incorporated unzipped carbon nanotube graphene nanoribbons in an epoxy/graphene composite. In laboratory tests, the leading edge of a helicopter rotor blade was coated with the composite, covered by a protective metal sleeve. Applying an electrical current heated the composite to over 200 °F (93 °C), melting a 1 cm (0.4 in)-thick ice layer with ambient temperatures of a -4 °F (-20 °C).[165]
Catalyst
In 2014, researchers at the
Coolant additive
Graphene's high thermal conductivity suggests that it could be used as an additive in coolants. Preliminary research work showed that 5% graphene by volume can enhance the thermal conductivity of a base fluid by 86%.[170] Another application due to graphene's enhanced thermal conductivity was found in PCR.[15]
Lubricant
Scientists discovered using graphene as a lubricant works better than traditionally used graphite. A one atom thick layer of graphene in between a steel ball and steel disc lasted for 6,500 cycles. Conventional lubricants lasted 1,000 cycles.[171]
Nanoantennas
A graphene-based plasmonic nano-antenna (GPN) can operate efficiently at millimeter radio wavelengths. The wavelength of surface plasmon polaritons for a given frequency is several hundred times smaller than the wavelength of freely propagating electromagnetic waves of the same frequency. These speed and size differences enable efficient graphene-based antennas to be far smaller than conventional alternatives. The latter operate at frequencies 100–1000 times larger than GPNs, producing 0.01–0.001 as many photons.[172]
An electromagnetic (EM) wave directed vertically onto a graphene surface excites the graphene into oscillations that interact with those in the
A phased array antenna 100
A nanoscale gold rod antenna captured and transformed EM energy into graphene plasmons, analogous to a radio antenna converting radio waves into electromagnetic waves in a metal cable. The plasmon wave fronts can be directly controlled by adjusting antenna geometry. The waves were focused (by curving the antenna) and refracted (by a prism-shaped graphene bilayer because the conductivity in the two-atom-thick prism is larger than in the surrounding one-atom-thick layer.)[173]
The plasmonic metal-graphene nanoantenna was composed by inserting a few nanometers of oxide between a dipole gold nanorod and the monolayer graphene.[174] The used oxide layer here can reduce the quantum tunneling effect between graphene and metal antenna. With tuning the chemical potential of the graphene layer through field effect transistor architecture, the in-phase and out-phase mode coupling between graphene plasmonics and metal plasmonics is realized.[174] The tunable properties of the plasmonic metal-graphene nanoantenna can be switched on and off via modifying the electrostatic gate-voltage on graphene.
Plasmonics and metamaterials
Graphene accommodates a plasmonic surface mode,[175] observed recently via near field infrared optical microscopy techniques[176][177] and infrared spectroscopy [178] Potential applications are in the terahertz to mid-infrared frequencies,[179] such as terahertz and midinfrared light modulators, passive terahertz filters, mid-infrared photodetectors and biosensors.[180][181]
Radio wave absorption
Stacked graphene layers on a quartz substrate increased the absorption of millimeter (radio) waves by 90 per cent over 125–165 GHz bandwidth, extensible to microwave and low-terahertz frequencies, while remaining transparent to visible light. For example, graphene could be used as a coating for buildings or windows to block radio waves. Absorption is a result of mutually coupled Fabry–Perot resonators represented by each graphene-quartz substrate. A repeated transfer-and-etch process was used to control surface resistivity.[182][183]
Redox
Reference material
Graphene's properties suggest it as a reference material for characterizing electroconductive and transparent materials. One layer of graphene absorbs 2.3% of red light.[185]
This property was used to define the conductivity of transparency that combines sheet resistance and transparency. This parameter was used to compare materials without the use of two independent parameters.[186]
Soundproofing
Researchers demonstrated a graphene-oxide-based aerogel that could reduce noise by up to 16 decibels. The aerogel weighed 2.1 kilograms per cubic metre (0.13 lb/cu ft). A conventional polyester urethane sound absorber might weigh 32 kilograms per cubic metre (2.0 lb/cu ft). One possible application is to reduce sound levels in airplane cabins.[187][188]
Sound transducers
Graphene's light weight provides relatively good frequency response, suggesting uses in electrostatic audio speakers and microphones.[189] In 2015 an ultrasonic microphone and speaker were demonstrated that could operate at frequencies from 20 Hz–500 kHz. The speaker operated at a claimed 99% efficiency with a flat frequency response across the audible range. One application was as a radio replacement for long-distance communications, given sound's ability to penetrate steel and water, unlike radio waves.[190][191]
Structural material
Graphene's strength, stiffness and lightness suggested it for use with
It has also been used as a strengthening agent in concrete.[193]
Thermal management
In 2011, researchers reported that a three-dimensional, vertically aligned, functionalized multilayer graphene architecture can be an approach for graphene-based
Graphene-metal composites can be used in thermal interface materials.[195]
Adding a layer of graphene to each side of a copper film increased the metal's heat-conducting properties up to 24%. This suggests the possibility of using them for semiconductor interconnects in computer chips. The improvement is the result of changes in copper's nano- and microstructure, not from graphene's independent action as an added heat conducting channel. High temperature chemical vapor deposition stimulates grain size growth in copper films. The larger grain sizes improve heat conduction. The heat conduction improvement was more pronounced in thinner copper films, which is useful as copper interconnects shrink.[196]
Attaching graphene functionalized with silane molecules increases its thermal conductivity (κ) by 15–56% with respect to the number density of molecules. This is because of enhanced in-plane heat conduction resulting from the simultaneous increase of thermal resistance between the graphene and the substrate, which limited cross-plane phonon scattering. Heat spreading ability doubled.[197]
However, mismatches at the boundary between horizontally adjacent crystals reduces heat transfer by a factor of 10.[198]
Waterproof coating
Graphene could potentially usher in a new generation of waterproof devices whose chassis may not need to be sealed like today's devices.[135][dubious – discuss]
See also
- Graphene applications as optical lenses
- Hong Byung-hee
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