A one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms organised in a hexagonal lattice is known as graphene. It is the building block of graphite (which is used, among other things, in pencil tips), but graphene is a fascinating substance in and of itself, with a plethora of extraordinary features that have earned it the moniker "wonder material" on numerous occasions. At one atom thick, graphene is the thinnest material known to man. It is also tremendously strong, roughly 200 times stronger than steel. Furthermore, graphene is a good conductor of heat and electricity, as well as having remarkable light absorption properties. It is truly a substance that has the potential to revolutionise the world, with limitless applications in practically every industry.
A -bond connects each atom in a
graphene sheet to its three closest neighbours, and each atom contributes one electron to a conduction band that spans the entire sheet. Carbon nanotubes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and (partially) fullerenes and glassy carbon all have this form of bonding. Graphene is a semimetal with remarkable electronic properties that are best characterised by theories for massless relativistic particles due to these conduction bands. Charge carriers in graphene have a linear, rather than quadratic, energy-to-momentum relationship, and bipolar field-effect transistors can be built with graphene. Over extended distances, charge transport is ballistic, and the material exhibits massive quantum oscillations as well as huge and nonlinear diamagnetism.
Along its plane, graphene conducts heat and electricity very well. The material substantially absorbs light of all visible wavelengths, which accounts for graphite's black appearance; nevertheless, due to its extraordinary thinness, a single graphene sheet is practically transparent. In addition, the material is 100 times stronger than the strongest steel of the same thickness.
For decades, scientists have speculated about the possibility of graphene's existence and manufacture. It has most likely been created in small quantities inadvertently for ages through the usage of pencils and other graphite-based products. In 1962, it was discovered using electron microscopes, although it was only investigated while supported on metal surfaces.
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