{"id":10056,"date":"2021-03-16T12:21:26","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T12:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=10056"},"modified":"2021-11-12T14:23:16","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T14:23:16","slug":"experimental-potential-graphene-related-materials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/experimental-potential-graphene-related-materials\/10056\/","title":{"rendered":"Experimental potential of graphene and related materials"},"content":{"rendered":"
Cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and peanut butter \u2014 weird and wonderful burger toppings are all the rage, but some combinations are more appealing than others. Layering several elements can be a formula for magic, and the same is true for nanomaterials.<\/p>\n
Before realising the potential of graphene and related materials (GRMs), the term was used to describe single layer nanomaterials that could be integrated with graphene.<\/p>\n
Graphene describes a single monolayer of graphite. Tightly bound in a hexagonal honeycomb structure, these carbon layers are just one atom in height. This means you will need to stack three million layers to create graphene just a single millimetre thick.<\/p>\n
Hailed as the first ever two-dimensional crystal, graphene is noted as a super-material because of its unrivalled strength, conductivity, and light weight. Since its isolation in 2004, a discovery which achieved the Nobel Prize for Physics, the nanomaterial has made headlines, but it is not the only single layer material with exceptional properties.<\/p>\n
Graphene\u2019s isolation paved the way for a new class of crystals to be discovered, all of which are one atom thick. In fact, researchers at the Graphene Flagship have now identified between 2,000 and 5,000 new materials that can be exfoliated to a single monolayer. While these GRMs may not boast the exact properties of graphene, combining these materials has the potential to change the world.<\/p>\n
Due to their atom-scale structure, GRMs can be shuffled with each other to engineer new materials on demand. The integration of GRMs in perovskite solar cells are a good example of this.<\/p>\n
Perovskite cells, a material increasingly used in solar panels, are most effective for power generation when used in small areas. However, large scale perovskite operations have difficultly consistently depositing solar cell layers, leading to reduced energy generation and difficulties scaling up this technology.<\/p>\n