Graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern. Graphene is considered to be the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material – of both electricity and heat. All of these properties are exciting researchers and businesses around the world – as graphene has the potential to revolutionize entire industries – in the fields of electricity, conductivity, energy generation, batteries, sensors and more.

Graphene is a disruptive technology; one that could open up new markets and even replace existing technologies or materials. It is when graphene is used both to improve an existing material and in a transformational capacity that its true potential can be realized.

 

Mechanical strength

Graphene is the world’s strongest material, and can be used to enhance the strength of other materials. Dozens of researchers have demonstrated that adding even a trace amount of graphene to plastics, metals or other materials can make these materials much stronger – or lighter (as you can use a smaller amount of material to achieve the same strength).

Such graphene-enhanced composite materials can find uses in aerospace, building materials, mobile devices, and many other applications.

The vast number of products, processes and industries for which graphene could create a significant impact all stems from its amazing properties.

No other material has the breadth of superlatives that graphene boasts, making it ideal for countless applications.

• It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible.
• It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent.
• It is the world’s first 2D material and is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

What is the Applications of Graphene ?

Transport, medicine, electronics, energy, defence, desalination; the range of industries where graphene research is making an impact is substantial.

And this is only the start. These are only the first steps. The potential of graphene is limited only by our imagination.

1. Biomedical

Graphene’s unique properties allow for ground-breaking biomedical applications. Targeted drug delivery; improved brain penetration; DIY health-testing kits and ‘smart’ implants.

1. 1. Graphene in Drug Delivery – Functionalized graphene can be used to carry chemotherapy drugs to tumors for cancer patients. Graphene based carriers targeted cancer cells better and reduced and decreased toxicity of the effected healthy cells. Drug delivery is not limited to cancer treatment, anti-inflammatory drugs have also been carried by graphene & chitosan combinations and yielded promising results.
   2. Graphene in Cancer Treatment – Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease. Moreover, it can stop them from growing any further in many types of cancer by intervening the correct formation of the tumor or causing autophagy which leads to the death of cancer cells.
   3. Graphene in Gene Delivery – Gene delivery is a method used to cure some genetic diseases by bringing foreign DNA into cells. Graphene Oxide modified by Polyethyleneimine can be used for these purposes is expected to show low cytotoxicity, as it did in the drug delivery case.
   4. Graphene in Photothermal Therapy – Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a approach used to eliminate abnormal cells in the targeted area of the body by irradiating a special agent which creates heat capable of destructing those cells. Graphene oxide increases effectiveness of PTT by a number of ways. First, it can be used to carry chemotherapeutic drugs to the tumor cells while they are being exposed to PTT simultaneously. Combining chemo and PTT like this is more effective than using one of these approaches alone. A nanocomposite of reduced graphene oxide (QD-CRGO) can be used during PTT for bioimaging of the cancer cells. Moreover, in their research, a group of scientists from Texas Tech and Texas A&M University have shown that using graphene oxide functionalized with biocompatible porphyrin as a platform for PTT for brain cancer have killed more cancer cells than PTT alone, while giving no harm to the healthy cells.
   5. Graphene in Diabetes Monitoring – Scientists from the University of Bath have developed a blood glucose monitoring test which does not pierce the skin, unlike currently used finger prick tests. This patch, including a graphene sensor, is able to work on a small area containing at least one hair follicle. It detects the glucose by pulling it from the fluid present between the cells. This does not only end the painful methods of blood sugar monitoring, but is also expected to increase the accuracy of the results.
   6. Graphene in Dialysis – Graphene membranes are not only useful for the energy, nuclear and food industries. A group of researchers from MIT showed that graphene can be used to filter the blood from wastes, drugs and chemicals as well. Graphene’s superiority in this case is that it is 20 times thinner than traditional membranes which leads to significant decrease in the time spent in the dialysis for the patients.
   7. Graphene in Bone and Teeth Implantation – Hydroxyapatite, a form of calcium apatite, is a material used as a synthetic bone substitute for regenerated bone and dental tissues. Graphene, combined with Hydroxyapatite and Chitosan, have shown increase in the strength, corrosion resistance, flexibility and mechanical & osteogenic properties of the substitute when compared to HAp alone.
   8. Graphene in Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy – Bones are not the only tissue graphene can cure. Certain forms of graphene were shown to be compatible with human osteoblasts and human mesenchymal cells, showing similar properties with the cells’ physiological microenvironment. Cells grown with this method demonstrated better growth, proliferation, and differentiation while being ineffective on the cells’ viability. Stem cells are especially important in tissue reengineering to improve the lives of people with neuronal disorders or neurodegenerative diseases.
   9. Graphene for the Brain – Mysteries about the brain haven’t been revealed completely yet. A graphene-based technology may allow scientists to uncover many of the unknowns by recording brains electrical activity. This new device is able to hear the frequencies below older technologies’ limits, and it doesn’t interfere with the functioning of the brain. Besides research on how the brain works, the technology can help the scientists to understand the reasons behind epilepsy seizures and develop treatments for the patients. Moreover, discovering more about the brain could lead to developing new Brain-Computer interfaces which are used in many areas including control of prosthetic limbs.
   10. Graphene in HIV Diagnosis – Despite all the improvements, there are many drawbacks on current HIV diagnosis methods. They can either detect the antibodies in the body nearly a month later the patient was infected, or they can detect the virus itself however these methods take some time to process themselves and more expensive when compared to the antibody method. A biosensor made of silicon or graphene, containing Gold Nanoparticles was developed by Spanish National Research Council, which targets p24, an antigen found on HIV. The new method can detect the virus only a week after being infected and at levels 100,000 times lower than what the current tests can notice. Moreover, results of the test are ready within 5 hours of being tested
   11. Graphene Biosensors – One of the advantages of graphene is its ability to detect minimal amounts of substances. Even a single molecule in a large volume can be detected with it. Biosensors made of graphene, graphene oxide or reduced graphene oxide show ultrasensitive properties when detecting DNA, ATP, dopamine, oligonucleotides, thrombin, and different atoms. There are several medical companies that already sell medical sensors made with graphene.
   12. Graphene Bactericide –  Graphene is a magnificent bactericidal material as it avoids the generation of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, by damaging their cell membranes between its outer layers. When compared to different derivatives of Graphene, Graphene Oxide and reduced Graphene Oxide shows the best antibacterial effects. GO can also be used as a compound with silver nanoparticles to increase antibacterial properties even further.
   13. Graphene in Birth Control –  Graphene has all the properties that is desired in a condom: it is flexible, extra strong and extremely thin. Researchers from Manchester University have worked on developing a “supercondom” made of graphene and latex combined. The research has received many funding, including one from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
   14. Graphene in Deaf-Mute Communication –  A group of Chinese scientists have developed a wearable, bio-integrated device that can translate sign language into text and spoken language. The device uses graphene’s incredible conductivity and flexibility properties.
   15. Graphene in Body Scans – Unlike X-rays, T-waves which can be used for body scanning are harmless to human body. However, there is a catch. T-waves, or THZ radiation, is hard to both detect and generate. The good news is, with the help of some modifications and other materials, CVD graphene can detect THZ radiation successfully. This will not only lead to safer body scans, but also incredibly faster internet in the future

2. Graphene-based composite materials

Graphene is a material with a huge amount of outstanding qualities; strength, flexibility, lightweight and conductivity.

1. 1. Graphene in Shoes – Graphene sneakers? Yes, although in this case it is not used purely, other composite materials take advantage of it. In fact, it is claimed that a sole made of pure graphene could last hundreds of years. University of Manchester and sports brand Inov-8 developed a shoe using graphene which increases the outsoles’ strength and flexibility properties by 50%. These shoes are more durable and absorbs the impacts which could damage the bones and joints.
   2. Graphene in Helmets – An ideal helmet would be strong, resistant to impact, durable, comfortable, and light. Graphene is incredibly strong, light, and flexible. It’s even used in bulletproof vests, so it can definitely resist impacts. With these properties, graphene is commercially used in motorbike helmets.
   3. Graphene in Tires – Graphene is also used to make smarter tires and sports bike components. Adding graphene to bike’s tires apparently increases the puncture resistance and velocity, decreases rolling resistance and makes them way lighter, stronger, faster, and more resilient.
   4. Graphene Clothes –  The use of graphene fibers in fabrics offers antibacterial, and anti-static clothes which can preserve the heat and block UV. These fabrics can be used to create outdoor sportswear, pajamas for children that repel soil bacteria, or even household furniture to prevent the development of bacteria on its surface.
   5. Graphene Rackets – Graphene can improve the energy distribution and weight of the racket while increasing the service speed and stability. Tennis equipment manufacturer Head have already developed a series of commercially available racket enhanced with graphene, named “Graphene 360” which is already used by tennis stars like Novak Djokovic and Sascha Zverev.
   6. Graphene Electronic Tattoos and Fitness Tracking  – Graphene Electronic Tattoo (GET) is developed by scientists at the University of Texas. First, they are more resistant to moisture, have a greater elasticity – with the ability to grow or shrink up to 40%, have a total thickness of 463 ± 30 nm, and have optical transparency of approximately 85%. They are like a second skin. These tattoos can be used to track heart rate, temperature, hydration levels, oxygen saturation and even the level of exposure to UV. Their application areas can vary from fitness tracking to medicine.

3. Electronics, Sensors, and Computers

Graphene has the potential to create the next-generation of electronics currently limited to sci-fi. Faster transistors; semiconductors; bendable phones and other electronics.

1. 1. Graphene UV Sensors – UV sensors are used for detecting dangerous levels of ultra-violet radiation which can lead to skin problems or even cancer. However, it is not the only use of UV sensors, they are used in the military, optical communication, and environmental monitoring as well. On its own, graphene may not present a high photoresponsivity but when it is combined with other materials, they create flexible, transparent, environmentally-friendly and low-cost UV sensors which will lead to technologies such as wearable electronics in the close future.
   2. Graphene Transistors  –  The new supertransistors, which replace silicon with graphene, can increase the speed of computers up to one thousand times when compared to current technology. Increasing speed of computers is a crucial step for many technologies to be able to improve, including but not limited to blockchain, simulations of the outer space, robots, and stock markets.
   3. Graphene in Waterproof Electronics – One of the main problems of electronic devices which people are afraid of is being dropped to water. Instead of covering the device with tight-fitted screws, graphene proposes a great solution for this problem. Engineers from Iowa State University print the circuits of the device with graphene flakes because graphene is transparent, strong and conducts electricity. Graphene flakes are arranged in a specific order and non-conductive binders are used to combine them which improved the conductivity. As in the most application areas, graphene again puts a great solution to this problem.
   4. Graphene in Wearable Electronics – Researchers are looking for new ways to power wearable devices. One of the outstanding ways is flexible batteries printed on a fabric with graphene. This enables people to wear their batteries and power their smartphones or other devices, literally. If this can be achieved, it will be an environmentally friendly and smart e-textile that can store energy. Carrying heavy power-banks or chargers will be history by the invention of this amazing idea.
   5. Graphene for Touchscreens – Indium tin oxide (ITO) is the commercial product used as transparent conductor of the smartphones, tablets, and computers. Researchers from the Rice University have developed a graphene-based thin film to be used in touchscreens. It is found that graphene-based thin film beats ITO and any other materials in terms of performance because it has lower resistance and higher transparency. Thus, Graphene is the new candidate material for the replacement of ITO.
   6. Graphene in Flexible Screens – The world of technology would be one of the great beneficiaries of the standardization of graphene as a material to incorporate in products such as smartphones or tablets. It would be the definitive step to advance in the world of smartphones. Recently, a Chinese company has produced a bendable smartphone with a graphene touch screen. Since one layer of graphene is strong, light, transparent and very conductive, it meets all the requirements for the production of smartphones. The smartphone of the Chinese company has the ability to wrap a twist completely, and it weighs only 200 grams which propose a perfect convenience for usage. However, production of graphene is expensive at an industrial scale relative to other materials used in smartphones. Researchers are looking for ways to produce graphene at lower costs. When this problem and some others are solved, old phones seem to be replaced by these flexible smartphones in the future.
   7. Graphene in Hard Drives and Memories – Usually, graphene is not considered magnetic, at least not in a controllable or useful way. In 2015, researchers from U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have found a way to turn graphene into a reliable and controllable electromagnetic material. If this innovation is used in hard drives, it is expected to have a capacity almost a million times greater than what we use today.
   8. Graphene in Elastic Robots – A team of researchers has developed a gel that is sensitive to near infrared light so that it could be used in numerous applications when creating flexible or elastic robotic parts. The snake-like robots created with this method are able to change its form without any forces from the outside. Their future applications can vary from search-and-rescue to medical operations.
   9. Graphene as a Superconductor – Scientists have discovered that graphene can also be used as a superconductive material. Two layers of Graphene can conduct the electron without any resistance. This can be accomplished by twisting these two layers of graphene at a ‘magic angle’ which is 1.1°. Most of the superconductive materials show their properties at temperatures close to absolute zero. Even High temperature superconductive materials relative to usual ones can work at around -140°C. In other words, these superconductive materials require a huge energy for cooling. If graphene can be used as a superconductive material at temperatures close to room temperature, there will be a huge revolution for many application areas.
   10. Graphene in Optoelectronics – Researchers are working on a new material for the optical communications since energy and power requirement increase as the time passes. A research conducted by the collaboration of different universities has shown that integrating graphene with silicon can beat current silicon photonic technology. How can it beat the current state of art? Because devices made by graphene are cheaper, simpler and work at high-scale wavelengths. Apparently, graphene will present a low-energy optical telecommunication and many other convenient optical systems.
   11. Graphene in Optical Sensors – Graphene has a lot of breakthroughs in industry and science owing to its super properties. Researchers tried to shrink the light to make optical sensors smaller. Recently, the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelona, with the collaboration of Graphene Flagship team, conducted a study which explains the reduction of light down to just a single atom thick which is thought to be impossible by many researchers. This discovery will lead to a huge step in ultra-small optical sensors and switches.
   12. Graphene Security Sensors – One of the first practical and real applications of graphene was security labels. Instead of the bulky sensors that many stores use, the sensors made with graphene are smaller, more aesthetic, able to bend without creating a damage on the circuit, and cost only a couple cents per tag.

4. Energy Storage and Thermal Applications

Imagine fully charging a smartphone in seconds, or an electric car in minutes. That’s the power of graphene. Since graphene is the world’s thinnest material, it also extremely high surface-area to volume ratio. This makes graphene a very promising material for use in batteries and supercapacitors. Graphene may enable batteries and supercapacitors (and even fuel-cells) that can store more energy – and charge faster, too.

Graphene is the most heat conductive found to date. As graphene is also strong and light, it means that it is a great material for making heat-spreading solutions, such as heat sinks or heat dissipation films. This could be useful in both microelectronics (for example to make LED lighting more efficient and longer lasting) and also in larger applications – for example thermal foils for mobile devices. Huawei’s latest smartphones, for example, have adopted graphene-based thermal films.

1. 1. Graphene in Solar Cells – The idea of developing lighter, flexible and transparent solar cells has been around for a while but finding the material which has all the properties and able to carry the current was the issue. Indium Tin Oxide has been used because it was transparent, however it was not flexible therefore the cell had to remain stiff.In 2017, researchers from MIT have managed to apply Graphene successfully on a solar cell. When they compared the graphene solar cell with others made of Aluminum and Indium Tin Oxide, they saw that it was as good as the ITO cell, and a little worse than Al one in terms of current densities and power conversion efficiencies. However, it is expected for a transparent cell to perform lower than Aluminum-based, which is nontransparent.Although electrical properties were not a breakthrough, a solar cell that can be installed on any kind of surface (cars, clothes, paper, and cell phones, etc.) which is flexible and transparent was developed. Moreover, other scientists are trying to find out if graphene solar cells can generate energy from raindrops, which theoretically looks possible.
   2. Graphene Batteries –  Graphene enhanced Li-ion batteries show incredible characteristics such as longer lifespan, higher capacity, and faster charging time as well as flexibility and lightness, so that it could be used in wearable electronics.
   3.  Graphene in Nuclear Power Plants – Heavy water used in nuclear power plants to cool the reactors is both costly to produce and causes a million tons of CO2 emissions during production. Researchers from University of Manchester have discovered that there is a greener and low-cost method to produce heavy water: graphene membranes. Team leader Dr. Lozada-Hidalgo believes that this innovation is extremely important and its introduction to the nuclear industry will be soon even though this industry is usually skeptical about new technologies.
   4.  Graphene in Thermoelectric –  Seebeck effect is defined as a thermoelectric effect occurring when heat is applied to one of the two dissimilar electric conductors (or semiconductors) to move the electrons from the hot part to the cooler part and produce electricity. However, the energy generated by this method is really small, usually quantified by microvolts. Still, it is believed that it can be used to benefit from the heat generated by the engines, which is practically wasted. Graphene can be used to increase the Seebeck effect created by Strontium Titanate, almost up to 5 times.
   5. Graphene in Fuel Cells-  Even hydrogen atoms, known as the smallest atom, cannot pass through Graphene. In another research, Sir Andre Geim and his team have tested if protons would be blocked by graphene or not. Suprisingly, protons could pass through graphene. This property would improve fuel cells performance by lowering the fuel crossover which is a major problem with fuel cells that decreases durability and efficiency.

5. Graphene membranes

Imagine clean drinking water for millions in developing countries. The development of graphene-based membranes at The University of Manchester brings that possibility closer. Graphene oxide membranes are capable of forming a perfect barrier when dealing with liquids and gasses. They can effectively separate organic solvent from water and remove water from a gas mixture to an exceptional level. They have even been proved to stop helium, the hardest gas to block.

Potential applications  – The simplicity of the technique and the sophistication of the membranes developed at The University of Manchester means the scope for potential applications is widening quickly, while each day of research brings with it new ideas. We are currently looking at how graphene membranes can be used for water filtration, gas separation and desalination projects.

Graphene coatings – A single layer of atoms that can act as a perfect barrier has the potential to open up vast new markets and revolutionise countless industrial processes. Using graphene coatings on food and pharmaceutical packaging can stop the transfer of water and oxygen, keeping food and perishable goods fresher for longer. The removal of harmful carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by power stations is not currently done on any scale, graphene membranes could change that.

6.  Food Industry

1. 1. Graphene in Food Packaging –  Graphene can also be used as a coating material because it prevents the transfer of water and oxygen. Graphene membranes can be used in food or pharmaceutical packaging by keeping food and medicines fresh for longer time. It may seem a simple application, but it can dramatically reduce the amount of food waste people throw away every day.
   2. Graphene in Water Purification- Normally, water purification is not a simple process and feasibility of the process depends on how heavily the water is contaminated. An Australian scientist has found a low-cost technique to purify water at one step. Soybean-based graphene, which is also called ‘GrapHair’, is used as a filter. This filter can make the dirtiest water drinkable. it is more efficient, cheaper and environmentally friendly compared to other methods.
   3. Graphene in Desalination – Approximately, 97.5% of the total water present on the planet is salty. It does not matter how many wells we excavate, only 2.5% of the total is fresh water. The filters based on meshes that use graphene have yielded amazing results. The University of Manchester employed graphene to make filtering sieve that has higher density and permit the water particles to pass but prevents the salts.
   4. Graphene in Crop Protection – Graphene is a great material for sensors. Micro-sized sensors can be produced thanks to graphene’s unique structure. It can detect whether a molecule is dangerous or not for the environment. These sensors can be used in food industry, especially in crop protection. Farmers can track and detect dangerous and harmful gasses to crop and they can determine the ideal areas for the growth of the crop depending on the atmospheric conditions, and even the moisture level and “thirst” of the plants with the help of graphene sensors.
   5. Graphene for Food Security – Studies done by US Rice University have shown that laser-induced graphene can be applied to various substances such as wood, bread, coconut, etc. It may seem like a substance with a pattern on it printed with ink, but it is not. The laser carburizes the material and carburized material is converted into graphene. Any pattern that is desired can be achieved by this technique. Issues that are related to food security can be overcame by this technique.
   6. Graphene in Alcohol Distillation Graphene’s physical properties is so interesting and unique that, it would let large water molecules to pass through but stop Helium molecules which could leak through glass.  Andre Geim (one of the inventors of Graphene) and Rahul Nair from Manchester University have tried sealing a bottle of vodka with graphene membrane that they have developed, and discovered that graphene could distill ethanol effectively even at room temperature and without the vacuum needed for distillation methods. This area of utilization can be employed in alcoholic beverages, fuel, water purification and so on.