Materials
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
Graphene is a single, atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice, the basic structural unit that stacked layers of graphite are built from. Isolated as a stable, freestanding material for the first time in 2004, it is the strongest material ever measured relative to its weight, an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, and the subject of intensive research toward flexible electronics, composites and energy storage, though large-scale, defect-free production remains a barrier to widespread industrial use.
Facts
Primary UseResearch and early-stage application in flexible and transparent electronics, composite reinforcement and energy storage electrodes; large-scale structural or electronic use remains mostly experimental as of the mid-2020s. 1 Origin YearAndre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov isolated graphene at the University of Manchester in 2004, work recognized by the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Carbon Fiber, Materials Both are advanced carbon-based materials prized for extreme strength-to-weight performance.
Nanotechnology, Fields Graphene is a single atomic layer material studied and engineered at the nanoscale.
In Field
Sources
1. A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.