Since its discovery, graphene has been the most promising material under development nowadays. Its supreme properties make it suitable for a wide range of applications that could revolutionise many current technologies. However, switching to a new technology is usually a lengthy and expensive process that could present many inconveniences. Novoselov, the Nobel laureate, et al. analyse this fact and review the current progress in grapehene in a recently published article in Nature.
Some of these promising applications are:
- Flexible electronics: Graphene (highly doped samples) shows sheet resistance of 30 ohm per square and excellent transmittance of 97.7% per layer. Graphene also has outstanding mechanical flexibility and strength, what makes it suitable for rollable devices.
- Photodetectors: Graphene can be used for a wide spectral range from ultraviolet to infrared, with a high operating bandwidth, which makes it suitable for high-speed data communications.
- Paints: Graphene-based paints can be used for conductive ink, antistatic, electromagnetic-interference shielding, and gas barrier applications. In addition, over the next few years chemical derivatives of graphene will be developed to control the conductivity and optical opacity of the products.
- Supercapacitors: Graphene offers high intrinsic electrical conductivity, an accessible and defined pore structure, good resistance to oxidative processes and high temperature stability
Although, a lot of applications exists, it will take some few years till new graphene products impact the market. It is likely that printable and flexible electronics, flexible solar cells and supercapacitors will be the first ones to appear.
