Graphene is a two-dimensional form of carbon that was discovered in 2004, and it has fascinated the science world ever since. What began with a scientist would broke graphite down to the thickness of a single layer of carbon atoms that lattice together in hexagonal form to form a structure that is stronger than steel. The thickness of a single atom of graphene is minimal, yet it has been proven to have unrivalled strength and durability, and a single sheet can be warped, bent and reshaped without losing strength, making it an excellent choice for many devices and appliances.

Ticks All The Boxes

Simply put, graphene is in a class of its own in terms of valuable properties, and has an amazing capacity to sustain high levels of electric current, making it even more conductive than silicon, and add to that the fact that it is light and durable, and you have a natural element that offers so much potential to modern society. It is also impermeable to all gasses, and if that isn’t enough, graphene has double the thermal conductivity than a diamond, and that’s saying something!

Device Application

Device manufacturers are in league with pigment dispersion specialists who create bright colour concentrates that are mixed with a substrate and added to the graphene. Imagine having a smartphone that was literally indestructible, and despite smashing it with a hammer and dropping it from a high rise building, the device remains in shape and scratch less! The potential for this new form of carbon is limitless, and some experts are predicting a graphene world, which would certainly take the strain from our planet.

Silicon Carbide

When a layer of graphene is added to a sheet of silicon carbide, the silicon absorbs the extra conductivity of the graphene, making it even more efficient. This is what we are seeing now as the next generation of electronic circuit boards, and it will also figure prominently in the plastics, paints and coatings industries, which are currently experimenting with graphene, as it has the potential to offer tremendous advantages to other materials.

Conductive Paints and Coatings

The specialist pigment dispersion companies are all looking at ways to introduce graphene into their products, and should you feel that your manufacturing process might be able to benefit from the inclusion of graphene related products, an online search will put you in touch with the market leader of specialist paint and coatings, and they would be happy to explore the possibilities. This wonderful newcomer called graphene is about to revolutionise products, including paints, bright colour concentrates, and coatings, and with such a high conductivity level, the casing of a device can be combined with the inner workings to really streamline things.

Graphene could be called a wonder material, and we are still learning about different changes that can be made with chemically modified graphene, and the discovery only came about because a scientist was curious about how much he could split graphite down, and much to his – and everyone else’s – amazement we have this incredibly strong and very light material that will change the world.