Introduction to Graphene
Imagine a sheet of chicken wire, but instead of metal, it's made of carbon atoms. This one-atom-thick sheet is graphene, arranged in a honeycomb pattern. Often dubbed a "wonder material," graphene can be 200 times stronger than steel, highly conductive, and incredibly light.
The race is on to broad market introduction and yet it faces challenges in scalability and production cost.
Applications in Electronics, Batteries, and Solar Cells
Electronics: Conductivity and Speed Graphene's electrical conductivity allows for electron mobility in excess of 15 000 cm^2/Vs, significantly higher than silicon's 1 400 cm^2/Vs [2]. This could revolutionise the speed and efficiency of electronic devices. The conductivity of industrially produced graphene is today to a large extent limited by the resistance between graphene flakes.
Electronics: Flexibility and Transparency The flexibility and transparency of thin layers of graphene make it ideal for flexible electronics and touchscreens. It could replace indium tin oxide (ITO), the standard material for transparent conductive films.
Batteries: Fast Charging and Current Density
Graphene can be utilized as a component in battery electrodes by increasing the battery's conductivity and allowing for faster charge and discharge cycles [3]. Crumpled graphene, when used as a battery electrode, may also significantly increase its electrochemical current density.
Solar Cells: Efficiency and Flexibility
Graphene can increase solar cells' efficiency by up to 50% and allows for innovative designs like rollable or foldable solar panels.
Challenges
The main challenges across these sectors are scalability and production cost. Current methods like chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are expensive and not yet scalable for mass production.
Bio-Based Graphene: A Sustainable Alternative
An emerging area focuses on deriving graphene from biomass wastes, such as agricultural residues and animal waste. This approach is environmentally friendly and capitalises on abundant resources.
Common Feedstock Categories for Bio-Based Graphene
Agricultural Waste: Wheat Straws, Rice Husks
Forest-Based Alternatives: Lignin, Populus Wood
Oil Palm Derivatives: Oil Palm Leaves, Palm Kernel Shell
Other Organic Materials: the best , Newspaper
Unconventional Sources: Dog Faces, Cockroach
Wood and Nut Shells: Spruce Bark, Macadamia Nut Shell
For a deeper dive on the challenges and opportunities of converting biomass to graphite and graphene, consider the review report from Gimåker and Granberg.
Brightday Graphene AB: Pioneering Green Graphene
Brightday Graphene AB, a Swedish company, specialises in the production of high-quality graphene from bio-based feedstocks. Their approach not only mitigates the environmental impact but also addresses the challenges of scalability and cost that have plagued the graphene industry.
Brightday's production methods are based on using renewable resources like lignin, a byproduct from the paper and pulp industry, and other forest-based alternatives. This makes their graphene not only "green" but also cost-effective and scalable. Their technology has the potential to revolutionise various industries, from electronics to energy storage, by providing a sustainable alternative to traditional graphene.
For more information, you can visit Brightday Graphene AB's website.
The Graphene Market Landscape
The global graphene market is projected to reach $1.08 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 38.7% from 2020 to 2025. Despite its promise, graphene must overcome significant challenges to realize its full potential.
Image credit and more info at prnewswire.com
Conclusions
Graphene holds immense promise for revolutionising various industries, particularly electronics, batteries, and solar cells.
However, challenges such as scalability and cost remain significant hurdles. The development of bio-based graphene offers a sustainable alternative that could overcome some of these challenges. As research progresses, the potential for this "wonder material" to reshape our technological landscape becomes increasingly plausible.
For further insights, you can explore the Graphene Flagship project which have a lot of information like this and more:
We hope this article provides a comprehensive yet concise overview of graphene, its applications, and its future, especially in the context of sustainability.
I hope this provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and future prospects of graphene in electronics, batteries, and solar cells. Feel free to delve into the references for more in-depth information.
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