Graphene has been hailed a “wonder material,” given its potential in a growing pool of applications and industries, from quantum computing (also see “Getting edgy with graphene”) to healthcare. But it’s also a bit unassuming. While it’s the thinnest material in the world at just one-atom-thick, graphene is among the strongest at roughly 200X stronger than steel.
A monolayer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, graphene’s most common use has been to form graphite, which is comprised of stacked graphene layers held together by van der Waals forces—essentially the backbone of pencils and lubricants. Moving beyond those historical uses, graphene is advancing into a jack of all trades.
Read more about the research here.
