Graphene is flexible and very strong, and (in one The main challenge lies in manufacturing large aspect) is tougher than a diamond and stronger than quantities of graphene, in various formats, and at steel. It is currently used as an element within a resin an affordable price, with effective yields and a purity to manufacture solid structures, as is the case with sufficient so as not to impair graphene’s desired 87 carbon fiber sports equipment . For example, carbon chemical properties. Production volumes also need to be fiber tennis rackets are made using a small amount of scaled up to factory level. graphene88. At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Spania unveiled the world’s first supercar to incorporate Despite many academic and commercial research 89 groups investigating methods of production, making graphene into the structure of a car . Going forward, graphene could be increasingly incorporated in large quantities of graphene remains a profound manufactured products. For example, it could reduce the challenge. Graphene is currently produced by a variety weight of vehicles, cutting down both fuel consumption of methods, which can be summarized as either ‘bottom and resulting emissions. up’ or ‘top down’. ‘Bottom up’ methods use chemistry to synthesize layers of graphene, while ‘top down’ It is transparent: 97 percent of light passes through approaches utilize graphite. The Nobel prize-winning it. It also an excellent conductor, and can carry heat ‘sticky tape approach’ and the ‘how to make graphene and electricity more efficiently than gold or copper. in your kitchen’ approach (described below) are This could make it very useful for developing the next examples of ‘top down’ production methods that yield generation of electronics such as solar panels and high-quality tiny graphene fragments. However, they are batteries. micrometers in size, and these methods are not suitable 97 for large scale manufacture . Incorporating graphene into batteries could increase their performance enormously. Energy density could be increased up to tenfold, enabling smartphones to last days without recharging, and an electric car’s range to How to make graphene in your kitchen 90 (if you have lab equipment) equal or surpass that of gasoline vehicles . Memory chips based on graphene have the potential As with many emerging technologies, theories abound but practice is a little to increase smartphone storage capacities tenfold, and harder. It is possible to create graphene using a kitchen blender to combine 98 also reduce power consumption and increase memory graphite powder with water and dishwashing liquid . A precise quantity 91 of dishwashing liquid is required to make this work, with the volume access speed · Graphene could lead the way in flexible smartphones by providing an alternative to silicon, dependent on the properties of the graphite powder used. Determining 99 which is brittle and could break when bent. this requires advanced and expensive lab equipment . But as of end-2015 this approach, like many others, remained theoretically viable, but not yet It could also be applied to any surface to convert it into proven in a large production run. a screen; it would be equivalent to applying a layer of 92 high-tech plastic wrap . The principal example of a ‘bottom up’ production Graphene is impermeable to gases and liquids, while method is chemical vapor deposition (CVD) which graphene oxide is permeable to water only. This means involves creating a graphene layer on another layer (for 93 that graphene oxide could be used for desalination , or 100 example copper foil) , ‘unzipping’ carbon nanotubes 94 the removal of harmful radioactive isotopes . 101 and the reduction of graphene oxide . While some of 102 Graphene also has the capability to change the way in these these methods can produce square meters of which we interact with the world: it could be used to graphene, they may produce highly defective graphene, 95 or require the use of hazardous materials. As such, there create contact lenses that enable infrared vision , and is still some way to go in optimizing the production to develop ‘smart plasters’ that reduce the risk of anti- processes. 96 bacterial infection . However, the toxicity of graphene to humans has yet to be confirmed through scientific As of end-2015, the market price of graphene studies. 103 was about $100 per gram . Once the method of The potential of graphene is phenomenal, but patience production is optimized and scaled up, the cost of is vital: there are several challenges to be addressed graphene is expected to come down to the cost of before a graphene era can be realized. the raw materials, which will likely be centered on the 104 existing suppliers for graphite: China and India . Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions 2016 15