Graphene

What do we think of when we are told '2D'? Normally we think of paper or a '2D drawing', even though we know that neither paper, nor drawings are really one atom thick.

The discovery of graphene is one of the most impressive discoveries within the realm of nanotechnologies. Graphene is one atom thick, and is surprisingly easy to make. Essentially it comes from graphite, or more commonly known as pencil lead.

How to make graphene yourself

Gaphene is a type of carbon atoms with the formation of sp squared , which is a hexagonal formation.

Hexagonal carbon formation

Graphene is a significant discovery because it opened up the ideas, to not only 2D planes, but also 1D lines like nanotubes, and even 0D points, which are essentially atoms.

Graphene is also a big contributor to the progress of technology because of its properties. It turns out that graphene is a great conductor of electricity-its 2D qualities make electricity pass through it even faster than regular graphite, which was a good conductor to begin with. This means that it can, and will be, used in electronics to make them fast. Not only that, but it is flexible, which means it can create flexible technologies. It also is incredibly strong, even with its flexibility.

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