It is a relatively new material and that is why graphene price remains high. Its applications in industry or medicine are still open. However, it is expected, that in coming years, volume of graphene produced will increase and prices will drop. You can learn more in this article about graphene business potential.
Understanding how graphene is made could shed light on its price. Because it is the process of fabrication itself, which plays a key role in graphene final cost.
Graphene – pure two-layer carbon
Graphene is a single layer of hexagonally arranged carbon atoms. Carbon is very interesting element playing a unique role in nature.
The discovery of graphene is relatively recent. The structure was invented in England by two scientists from University of Manchester. They isolated graphene from mineral graphite by a method called micromechanical cleavage. Their discovery was later (2010) awarded by Nobel Prize. The whole scientific world was surprised that two-dimensional crystals exist and they are even stable under the normal condition!
Study of graphene
Since 2005, development in graphene area has exploded. The number of papers concerning graphene description, synthesis and potential use was increasing. Graphene is studied thoroughly, actually it is the most explored allotrope of carbon.
Graphene price–the reduction will change the future
Graphene has incredible properties and broad potential of applications in many areas. There is a brief review of graphene characteristics and their future impact on practice:
- Graphene is impermeable, graphene-based coating methods (application of a thin film of functional material to a substrate) can be used to prevent corrosion.
- Graphene is flexible. That brings a possibility of constructing foldable screens.
- The velocity with which electron come through the graphene is amazing. With graphene we might be able to construct the lightning speed computers.
Graphene-based polymers
The ability of carbon to make single and double bounds make graphene interesting in the field of polymer synthesis. These bio-polymers can be used in the processes of:
- Replacement of human nerves and other organs in medicine
- Storing wind and solar power in energetic sector
- Filtration and cleaning of drinking water
From laboratory to practice
Graphene is focus of attention for physicists, chemists, and biologists. It was observed that electrons in graphene behave like nearly “massless” particles and that is why graphene is an excellent conductor. This results in the confirmation of a number of interesting properties with future benefit in electronics. Incorporation of graphene nanoparticles into other polymers may lead to fabrication of strong and at the same time light construction materials.
Graphene–synthesis is still costly
Synthesisof a material that is one atom thick is not cheap. A sheet of graphene one millimeter thick requires approximately three million layers of atoms! So the quantity of graphene on the market is limited.
Search for “low-cost” graphene
Graphene is one of the most expensive materials on the Earth.The way in which graphene is produced reflects how much it finally costs.Scientists are searching for more effective and cheaper methods of its production.
Graphene in everyday life
The price of grapheneproductsdrops slowly and its utilization in daily-lifecontinues to grow. How the new material start to be commercialized in the electronics you can read here. There are already several products containing graphene on the market such as:
- Tennis racquets
- Cycling helmets
- Sensors for detection of small molecules
- Skis
