Graphene is a two-dimensional crystal consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged hexagonally. Combining immense strength and matching flexibility, it is a material like no other, with a wide-range of real world applications.
Credit: U.S. Department of Energy/ Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Contrary to popular belief, graphene is not a recent discovery. It was observed for the first time in 1962 by German chemists Ulrich Hofmann and Hanns-Peter Boehm, the latter giving the material its name. But while some scientists had known about graphene for decades, its unique properties remained undiscovered.
This all changed when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov from the University of Manchester in the UK used Sellotape to peel off a single layer of graphite from a pencil, studying the residue in detail.
What they found was stunning enough for them to be awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Graphene is a material like no other.
A two-dimensional material only one atom thick that is, gram for gram, stronger than any other material known to man. Graphene is peculiar in that its strength is matched by great flexibility.
While this is incredible in itself it is not the end of the story, as graphene is also transparent, light and a fantastic conductor, being able to carry more electricity more efficiently, more rapidly and with more precision than any other material.
All of these properties and more have got scientists incredibly excited, with many research papers being published on the subject every day, and hundreds of start-up companies and well-known multinational technology companies investing heavily in graphene.
Yet, despite all the hype and heavy investment, there are still no graphene products on the market. It's a curious situation that could be set to change.
Recently there have been a number of proof-of-concept demonstrations, which have shown that graphene will soon be incorporated into numerous devices we use every day.
So now is the perfect time to ask, exactly what have we got to look forward to?
Nearly all electronic products currently on the market have displays (such as TVs, computer monitors, mobile phones and cameras) containing indium tin oxide (ITO).
ITO is transparent and highly conductive, making it ideal for these applications, but indium is becoming increasingly rare and therefore more expensive.
In contrast, graphene is derived from carbon, which is (practically) limitless in abundance, cheap and easily recyclable.
Another limitation of ITO is that it is not very flexible. "This isn't a problem in rigid glass displays like those in today's telephones, but is a limitation in the displays envisioned by materials scientists and electrical engineers," explains Nathaniel D Robinson, a researcher from Linköping University in Sweden.
Graphene, then, could not only replace ITO but change the face of electronics - from something static to something highly flexible. Think 'roll up' TVs and computers, and stretchy, flexible wireless devices that could morph from being a phone, to a wristwatch, to a laptop or mobile TV.
The possibilities - with graphene - are practically limitless.
