What is Graphene?

Graphene is a one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms organized in a hexagonal lattice. It is the building-block of Graphite (which is used, among others things, in pencil points), but Graphene is a remarkable substance on its own - with several astonishing attributes which frequently earn it the title "wonder material."


Graphene's properties
Graphene is the thinnest substance known to man at one atom thick, and also incredibly strong - about 200 times stronger than steel. On top of that, Graphene is an exceptional conductor of heat and electricity and has outstanding light absorption abilities. It is truly a material that could change the world, with unlimited potential for integration in almost any industry.

For more information on graphene properties, click here.

Potential applications
Graphene is an incredibly diverse material and can be combined with other elements (including gases and metals) to produce different materials with various superior properties. Researchers all over the world continue to investigate continually and patent Graphene to learn its multiple features and possible applications, which include:


Graphene is a new material that is getting considerable attention - especially since the 2010 Nobel prize in physics went to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who first isolated Graphene in 2004.




Producing Graphene
Graphene is indeed very impressive, but creating high-quality materials is still a hurdle. Dozens of businesses around the world are contributing different types, and grades of graphene materials - ranging from high-quality single-layer Graphene synthesized using a CVD-based method to graphene flakes produced from Graphite in high volumes.

High-end graphene sheets are frequently used in R&D activities or extreme applications such as sensors, but graphene flakes, created in high volumes and at lower prices, are adopted in many applications such as sports equipment, consumer electronics, automotive and more.



Graphene products
Several businesses offer Graphene and graphene-based products. You may check our list of Graphene related companies to find a company that produces the products you need.

Today there are several more graphene products on the market. The sports industry was an early adopter, and as early as 2013 HEAD started shipping graphene-enhanced tennis rackets (called YouTek Graphene Speed series). Today one can buy graphene-enhanced helmets, ski equipment, and even Lacrosse gear.

Graphene has also entered the consumer electronics market - for example, Huawei's Mate 20 X smartphone, uses "graphene film cooling technology" for heat management purposes. Another high-profile company that adopts Graphene is Ford - which is using graphene-reinforced foam covers for noisy components in its 2019 F-150 and Mustang cars. The Graphene is infused with foam constituents, and the resulting parts are said to be 17% quieter, 20% more powerful, and 30% more heat-resistant

A new market for Graphene is the sensors market. In 2016, for example, San Diego-based Nanomedical Diagnostics (now called Cardea) started shipping its graphene-based sensors and the AGILE R100 system which allows for real-time detection of small molecules. The graphene sensor offers faster sample processing, higher accuracy, portability, and cost savings.