Graphene
World C — Carbon Chemistry
31.A — STRUCTURE & PROPERTIES
R31.01 2D Honeycomb Lattice
- A single layer of carbon atoms, one atom thick.
- sp² hybridized, forming a flat hexagonal array.
- The basic building block for graphite, nanotubes, and fullerenes.
200x STEEL
R31.02 Mechanical Strength
- The strongest material ever tested.
- Over 200 times stronger than structural steel.
- Incredibly light and highly flexible (stretchable up to 20%).
R31.03 Ballistic Conductivity
- Electrons move through graphene at near light-speed.
- Act as massless "Dirac Fermions".
- Zero effective resistance (ballistic transport) at room temp.
97.7%
R31.04 Optical Transparency
- Absorbs exactly 2.3% of white light.
- Virtually transparent to the human eye.
- Ideal for invisible circuitry and touch screens.
31.B — SYNTHESIS & APPLICATIONS
R31.05 Mechanical Exfoliation
- The "Scotch Tape" method (Geim & Novoselov, Nobel Prize 2010).
- Peeling graphite layer-by-layer until one remains.
- Yields highest quality, but impossible to mass-produce.
R31.06 CVD Synthesis
- Chemical Vapor Deposition.
- Methane gas ($CH_4$) heated over a copper substrate.
- Carbon deposits as a single continuous layer. Main method for commercial screens.
R31.07 Flexible Electronics
- Transparent, conductive, and bendable.
- Used for foldable smartphones, wearable tech, and bio-sensors.
- Replaces brittle Indium Tin Oxide (ITO).
R31.08 Desalination & Filtration
- Graphene oxide membranes with sub-nanometer pores.
- Water molecules pass through perfectly.
- Larger salt ions ($Na^+$, $Cl^-$) and pollutants are completely blocked.