The world’s strongest material- graphene, never fails to impress, with its numerous applications in various fields and industries. We decided to show you some of its greatest uses, hoping that at least one of them, if not all, will come in handy at some point in your life.
1. Goodbye rusting. Graphene is a well-known material for repelling water, while being highly conductive. This combination guarantees that steel will be kept away from any contact with water, which slows down oxidizing of iron. Coatings have already been designed and tested, and it could well be the solution to car rusting.
2. Clear sound. Graphene is known to transmit energy from electrical current to produce sound, instead of vibrating diaphragm. This property of the material makes it perfect for being used in speakers. Researchers from University of Texas already tested this by putting a very thin layer onto glass and two types of plastic. The result was truly impressive.
3. Graphene supercapacitors instead of batteries. It might just be the missing ingredient, which will allow a capacitor to store much more energy. We can expect that in the very near future, graphene supercapacitors, will not only replace conventional batteries, but will be able to store sufficient quantities of energy to power electronics and even electric cars.
4. No more radioactive waste. Graphene was found to be extremely good in cleaning radioactive waste, according to researchers at Rice University. Its oxide binds to radioactive elements to form easily collectable clumps
5. Electronic Circuits. When graphene is used in computers instead of silicon semiconductor chips, it was found that the computer can process binary code much faster, due to its much better conductivity. Graphene-based processors are already developed by major computer companies such as IBM.
6. Strong artificial muscles. Because sheets of graphene are very difficult to flatten, scientists at Duke University decided to attach the material to a pre-stretched rubber sheet. They established that graphene remains crumbled even when the rubber sheet was no longer flat. When they ran an electrical current through it, layered with polymer, it expanded and contracted, creating a strong artificial muscle.
7. Detecting explosives. Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute discovered that graphene foam can detect small concentrations of the key ingredients in explosives- nitrates and ammonia. All that is needed is a sensor as small as a postage stamp.
8. Sorting DNA molecules. This is possible by controlling the size of the pores of graphene. The technique is much cheaper than regular DNA sequencing, according to San Francisco-based Life Technologies.
9. Bullet-proofing. According to Australian researchers, a material made of graphene and carbon nanotubes, added to a polimer, makes up a much stronger fibre than Kevlat. These fibres can not only be used in bulletproof vests, but they can also be added to other materials to make them stronger.
10. Seeing in the dark. A thin layer of graphene, dotted with lead sulphide can create an ultra-sensitive photodetector. This invention was developed by researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona, who claim that it could be used to make thinner cameras and much more effective night vision goggles.
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