Graphene

Subject: Science & Tech

Section: Chemistry

Context: Graphene along with AI and Quantum computing will disrupt the existing human machine interface in the next couple of decades.

Concept:

Graphene:

Graphene is the world’s thinnest, strongest, and most conductive material of both electricity and heat.
It conducts electricity better than copper. It is 200 times stronger than steel but six times lighter.
It is almost perfectly transparent as it absorbs only 2% of light.
It is impermeable to gases, even those as light as hydrogen and helium.

Uses:

Graphene composites are used in aerospace, automotive, sports equipment and construction.
It is used for high performance batteries and supercapacitors, touchscreens, and conductive inks.
Graphene based sensors are used for environmental monitoring, healthcare and wearable devices.
Graphene oxide membranes are used for water purification and desalination.
Graphene based maskswere made during COVID.
Defence: Its exceptional strength makes it promising material for armour and ballistic protection. It has the potential to absorb and dissipate electromagnetic waves, making it valuable for developing stealth coatings and materials that reduce radar signatures and electromagnetic interference.
Graphene is highly sensitive to environmental changes, which makes it excellent in sensing chemical and biological agents, explosives, radiation, and other hazardous substances. This can also protect us against chemical and biological attacks.