Graphene ‘Wonder Material’ Can Now Be Made Using TRASH

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•Mar 9, 2020

A recent breakthrough from researchers at Rice University promises to make graphene out of garbage in a flash. Here’s how this miraculous transformation happens. » Subscribe to Seeker! http://bit.ly/subscribeseeker » Watch more Elements! http://bit.ly/ElementsPlaylist » Visit our shop at http://shop.seeker.com Graphene is a single-atom thick layer of carbon that has a number of properties that make it almost endlessly useful. So useful in fact, it has been dubbed a "wonder material.” But the thing is graphene is really hard to make in meaningful quantities; however, thanks to a recent breakthrough from Rice University, that all might change. And the key to it all might be your very own trash. The process the researchers at Rice University developed involves charging up high-voltage capacitors with electricity, then unleashing it all at once into just about any carbon containing material including anything from coal (which is basically all carbon to start with) to plastics to food waste. Find out exactly how this process works and what this could mean for the future of graphene in this Elements. #graphene #garbage #energy #science #seeker #elements Read More: > Mass-Producing Graphene https://www.americanscientist.org/art... "Carbon, the sole constituent of graphene, is all around us. The element is the fourth most common in the entire universe. Most people think of materials in terms of atoms and molecules, where molecules are made from defined types and numbers of atoms. With graphene, counting carbon atoms is inconsequential."
> Graphene – the not-so wonder material? https://www.imeche.org/news/news-arti... "In order for graphene to have an impact commercially and be used to develop better-quality products, such as transistors, it not only needs to be cost-effective, but also environmentally friendly." > Rice lab turns trash into valuable graphene in a flash https://news.rice.edu/2020/01/27/rice... "Flash Joule heating for bulk graphene, developed in the Tour lab by Rice graduate student and lead author Duy Luong, improves upon techniques like exfoliation from graphite and chemical vapor deposition on a metal foil that require much more effort and cost to produce just a little graphene." ____________________ Elements is more than just a science show. It’s your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested on all the compelling, innovative and groundbreaking science happening all around us. Join our passionate hosts as they help break down and present fascinating science, from quarks to quantum theory and beyond. Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.