Two decades later, after its bombshell discovery, graphene has sneaked its way into our daily lives (and transformed industries from electronics to sporting goods) This article discusses the truth beneath the hype and development in commercialisation of this miracle material.
From Skepticism to Excitement
The voyage of the graphene narrative dates back twenty years with a ground-breaking paper from physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov on an extraordinary form of carbon. This work was controversial at the time as leading researchers, including the author, were skeptical that graphene truly possessed its seemingly extraordinary properties.
However, when the research went viral and new ways to produce it were being found, people got very excited about graphene. That is because scientists and the public alike were captivated by what it could do—from being tougher than steel to working as a superior conductor than copper. This excitement was further encouraged by the Nobel Prize won by Geim and Novoselov in 2010, resulting in a flurry of academic papers and high hopes for graphene’s practical performance.
Invasive yet Quiet Integration
Graphene was first isolated in the lab more than 17 years ago — not quite long enough for it to be considered a millennial, but plenty of time for research ideas based on its incredible strength and other properties to reach the coating industry. And while the early hype around how graphene would transform every aspect of our lives may have set the bar unrealistically high, over the past decade, graphene has quietly found its way into many everyday applications. This progress is also down to the efforts of the Graphene Flagship, one of the biggest ever European research efforts to take graphene from lab up to market.
Today, graphene can be found in everything from sports equipment and bullet-proof motorcycle helmets to batteries that charge quicker while lasting longer than before, sensors with the capability of detecting chemicals or dangerous levels of pressure and next-generation systems for purifying water. The unique properties of the material are creating new possibilities in applications such as thermal management, electromagnetic shielding and lubricants.
Often times the general public was unaware when graphene was being integrated into consumer products – which is also interesting. Companies, impliedly, are typically loathe to draw attention to the materials they’re using; and from a certain point on (i.e., once graphene is worked into a product), there’s not really anything more to say. Most consumers would never realize it, as long as their car, phone or golf club delivers what they need.
Conclusion
That rapid transition of graphene has not matched the initial fanfare and claims of game-changing developments for sure, still it has emerged a behind-the-scenes material in our everyday lives and also become part of an enormous global industry. With production methods becoming more efficient and prices lower, the scope of graphene applications is set to grow further allowing a more sustainable and technologically advanced tomorrow. We might not have a space elevator yet but in terms of technology that impacts our lives on a daily basis, the real-world uses for graphene are wide, varied and worthy of celebration.
