When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
What if there was a material that was lighter than paper, yet far stronger than steel? More electrically conductive than silicon? Flexible like a human hair, but thousands of times thinner? Such a compound would have a vast array of potential uses, limited only by the confines of the imagination.
The good news is, such a thing does exist. It's called graphene and it was the first two-dimensional substance ever made, according to CNN. That means it's only one atom thick and it remains the thinnest substance recorded, at a mere 0.33 nanometers. The bad news – at least until recently – was that graphene was expensive and difficult to produce at scale. So no matter what applications researchers could dream up, they remained tantalizingly out of reach.
But new reports revealed how scientists are developing ways to create graphene at a commercial scale, thereby allowing some of these impactful uses to take shape.
"The list of graphene applications is limited only by the confines of the imagination."
The vast potential of graphene
Graphene's unique combination of attributes make it ideally suited for an array of applications for both commercial and personal use, according to CNN. As previously mentioned, the atom-thick compound is up to 300 times stronger than steel but 1,000 times lighter than paper. It's also 1,000 time more electrically conductive than silicon, can stretch up to 20 percent it's own length and is visible to the naked eye despite its miniscule dimensions. Listed below are just a few of the numerous possible applications for graphene, some of which are already in production:
The next generation of super computers
Silicon is the material of choice for the technology industry – it forms the basis for conductors, solar cells and other high-tech products. But graphene has all the same properties of silicon, except it's stronger, more flexible and more conductive. That means it would allow computers to transfer information faster and use less energy doing so. Additionally, it could drastically reshape the very structure of a computer because it's so thin and elastic. IBM is already working on using graphene in semiconductors and circuits.
Silicon is the material of choice for the technology industry – it forms the basis for conductors, solar cells and other high-tech products. But graphene has all the same properties of silicon, except it's stronger, more flexible and more conductive. That means it would allow computers to transfer information faster and use less energy doing so. Additionally, it could drastically reshape the very structure of a computer because it's so thin and elastic. IBM is already working on using graphene in semiconductors and circuits.
Highly absorbent oil mops
Chinese scientists used graphene as a key component of the world's lightest manmade material, according to ExtremeTech. Graphene aero-gel is seven times lighter than air and can absorb up to 900 times its own weight in oil at nearly 70 grams per second. Plus, the material can be wrung out like a sponge. Ideally, graphene aero-gel might soon soak up oil from the ocean, deposit that oil back in a tank, and go back into the ocean to collect more.
Chinese scientists used graphene as a key component of the world's lightest manmade material, according to ExtremeTech. Graphene aero-gel is seven times lighter than air and can absorb up to 900 times its own weight in oil at nearly 70 grams per second. Plus, the material can be wrung out like a sponge. Ideally, graphene aero-gel might soon soak up oil from the ocean, deposit that oil back in a tank, and go back into the ocean to collect more.
Better, more efficient batteries
One of the only things keeping electric cars from dominating the roads is their relatively limited batteries. Recharging on the fly can be difficult given current infrastructure, but graphene could be the key to significant developments in this field, according to Business Insider. Because of how well it conducts electricity, graphene batteries could store more juice and recharge faster than anything around today.
One of the only things keeping electric cars from dominating the roads is their relatively limited batteries. Recharging on the fly can be difficult given current infrastructure, but graphene could be the key to significant developments in this field, according to Business Insider. Because of how well it conducts electricity, graphene batteries could store more juice and recharge faster than anything around today.
An easier, faster way to desalinate water
One particularly ingenious use for graphene is as a mesh that can purify saltwater, according to Nature Nanotechnology. The membrane would have pores in it large enough to pass water molecules but too small for salt molecules to make it through. In testing, the team from Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory found the material removed nearly 100 percent of the salt.
One particularly ingenious use for graphene is as a mesh that can purify saltwater, according to Nature Nanotechnology. The membrane would have pores in it large enough to pass water molecules but too small for salt molecules to make it through. In testing, the team from Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory found the material removed nearly 100 percent of the salt.
These are but a handful on a long list of potential applications for this fascinating material. Now, better production techniques might allow scientists and organizations to bring some of these ideas to reality by manufacturing graphene-based substances as a larger scale.
New techniques could free up graphene for mass production
All of these applications would be relatively useless without a practical means of creating them – one that isn't unreasonably expensive, time consuming or scientifically untenable. But thanks to research from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, that process may become much easier, according to ACS Publications. The ORNL team was able to create 2-by-2-inch sheets of a polymer composite containing graphene. It may not sound like much, but it's a vast improvement on previous techniques.
"Before our work, superb mechanical properties of graphene were shown at a micro scale," Ivan Vlassiouk, a member of ORNL's Energy and Transportation Science Division, said in the publication. "We have extended this to a larger scale, which considerably extends the potential applications and market for graphene."
"Some scientists believe graphene may soon define its age in history."
While these graphene-like substances are not quite as effective as pure graphene, they're still far superior than comparable, contemporary materials.
"In our case, we were able to use chemical vapor deposition to make a nanocomposite laminate that is electrically conductive with graphene loading that is 50 times less compared to current state-of-the-art samples," Vlassiouk continued.
It is this method – combining graphene with other composites and substances – that may hold the key for mass production. While other researchers used graphene flakes, the ORNL settled upon larger sheets that were easier to disperse throughout the polymer and used less graphene overall.
Once these graphene sheets are used to make actual products ready for end use, there is also a need for adequate testing before they hit the market. Anytime a new material is touted as revolutionary it will require significant material analysis before it's approved. Luckily, there are products testing labs that can effectively determine whether a product is ready for commercial use and if it is safe for consumers.
After that, the possibilities for graphene seem to be endless. Just as bronze, iron, steel and plastics came to define ages in history, some scientists believe graphene may soon do the same.
"I am completely convinced that graphene is going to end up changing our lives," one MIT professor told CNN. Andre Geim, who co-discovered graphene at the University of Manchester, said, "I hope that graphene and other two-dimensional crystals will change everyday life as plastics did for humanity."
It remains to be seen if or when that will happen. For now, the potential for graphene is clear and the future is looking bright.
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