Described as a ‘super-material’, the anticipation over the new material graphene in the scientific and consumer world is escalating. Philip Thomas takes a look at what all the fuss is about and some of the more complex issues surrounding this incredible scientific breakthrough.
Graphene is an allotrope of carbon that can be found right underneath our noses. When you write with a standard graphite pencil, a mixture of miniscule graphene flakes and coal are deposited on the piece of paper. This deposit is one of the few two-dimensional materials to have been discovered in physics which is fundamental to its extraordinary properties. Graphene is the thinnest, stiffest, most conductive and most impermeable material known to man. It is an excellent conductor of heat, highly transparent and as flexible as rubber. It is far stronger than diamond or, in other terms, it would take an elephant balanced on a pencil to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of cling film. Graphene truly is a substance of superlatives. The two scientists at the University of Manchester, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who were accredited with the discovery of graphene were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. That’s how scientifically important this material is.
Considering its breathtaking properties, the potential applications of the material are massive. To name but a few, graphene may be used in touch screens, lighting within walls, aircrafts, solar cells, flexible electronics, enhanced batteries, electronic payments, biosensors, DNA detectors and HD-TVs. Even if it fails to deliver in any of these fields, it could also be highly useful in the advancement of energy or medicine. Of course, the time and cost of converting to graphene must be financially viable for businesses but its alleged potential is nonetheless exciting. As Geim said, “No one can accurately predict what the future holds for us, but there are so many potential technologies that have already been suggested for graphene, even statistically the chances are sky-high that graphene will bring around some really important future technologies.
“Among everything I know graphene is my best bet for the next big thing technological breakthrough. Nevertheless, one needs to remember that it takes typically 40 years for a new material to move from academia to consumer shelves.”
Even in times of global economic uncertainty, politicians are finding the money to pump into research regarding the commercialisation of graphene. In December 2012, renowned for his tight fiscal policy, George Osborne gave £22 million to UK universities to develop graphene, taking the total he has granted to over £60 million. The National Graphene Institute is also to be built in Manchester at a cost of £61 million; Professor Novoselov declared himself, ‘delighted’ by the governments’ decision. Perhaps even more surprisingly given the economic woes across the continent, the European Commission, a part of the EU, in January 2013 chose Graphene to be the recipient of a ten-year £850 million Future Emerging Technology grant. They are hopeful that, “it will revolutionise multiple industries and create economic growth and new jobs in Europe”.
Although politicians in Europe are investing substantially in graphene, a growing fear is rising that it will not be enough to fight off global competition for patents. A report conducted by CambridgeIP on 15 Jan 2013 showed that since its discovery, the Chinese have 2,204 graphene patent publications, the US 1,754, South Korea 1,160, with the UK lagging far behind with just 54. UK science minister David Willetts simply outlined the problem: “we need to raise our game. It’s the classic problem of Britain inventing something and other countries developing it.” Europe’s struggle with stagnant growth and high unemployment may consequently reduce our ability to compete globally.
Another issue with the development of graphene is what could be labelled as the Concorde syndrome. Heightened by a shortage of public money, if money is pumped into a single project that appears beautiful but has few uses, a lot of time and taxpayers’ funds have been wasted. We can only be hopeful that this is proves to be untrue.
From a scientific perspective, graphene is arguably the most incredible material ever discovered. However, from a commercial perspective, there is still a lot of uncertainty over its future both in terms of development and the ability to compete with Asia.
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