60 Potential Uses of Graphene

Written by nanografi.com on July 10, 2021. Posted in Current News

For many experts, graphene is the material of the future. Its scientific definition can be considered somewhat complex, but the truth is that the properties of this material open a new horizon in the world of technology.

Graphene is a material composed of pure carbon, similar to graphite but with characteristics that make it extraordinarily light and strong. A sheet of one square meter of graphene weighs 0.77 milligrams. Its strength is 200 times greater than that of steel and its density is similar to that of carbon fiber. All these make it resist high bending forces without breaking. It is one of the most conductive materials for electricity and heat, which makes it the perfect material for electronics and many other industries.

PSI editor’s note: Check out item 20, partly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Its applications are virtually unlimited and promise to revolutionize many fields: from electronics and computing to construction or even health. You can find nearly all applications of graphene in this list – some already commercialized, some need years to materialize.

A reminder: Graphene is called the “wonder material” for a reason. There are tens of research about it which are not published yet, but may change the world tomorrow. On the other hand, some of the potential applications we list here may be disproven in the future either. For this reason, we cannot claim that this list includes all applications of graphene, but unquestionably, it is one of the most inclusive lists of the applications of graphene you can find online.

Disclaimer: The content of this post or any other linked material is intended for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or technical advice.

Guide to the list:

Graphene’s Applications in Energy Industry: Items 1-6

Graphene’s Applications in Medicine: Items 7-22

Graphene’s Applications in Electronics: Items 23-34

Graphene’s Applications in Food Industry: Items 35-39

Graphene’s Applications in Sports: Items 40-45

Other Applications of Graphene: Items 46-60

Graphene’s Applications in Energy Industry

1. Graphene in Solar Cells

The idea of developing lighter, flexible and transparent solar cells has been around for a while but finding the material which has all the properties and able to carry the current was the issue. Indium Tin Oxide has been used because it was transparent, however it was not flexible therefore the cell had to remain stiff.

In 2017, researchers from MIT have managed to apply Graphene successfully on a solar cell. When they compared the graphene solar cell with others made of Aluminum and Indium Tin Oxide, they saw that it was as good as the ITO cell, and a little worse than Al one in terms of current densities and power conversion efficiencies. However, it is expected for a transparent cell to perform lower than Aluminum-based, which is nontransparent.

Although electrical properties were not a breakthrough, a solar cell that can be installed on any kind of surface (cars, clothes, paper, and cell phones, etc.) which is flexible and transparent was developed. Moreover, other scientists are trying to find out if graphene solar cells can generate energy from raindrops, which theoretically looks possible.

2. Graphene Batteries

Graphene enhanced Li-ion batteries show incredible characteristics such as longer lifespan, higher capacity, and faster charging time as well as flexibility and lightness, so that it could be used in wearable electronics.

3. Graphene in Nuclear Power Plants

Heavy water used in nuclear power plants to cool the reactors is both costly to produce and causes a million tons of CO2 emissions during production. Researchers from University of Manchester have discovered that there is a greener and low-cost method to produce heavy water: graphene membranes. Team leader Dr. Lozada-Hidalgo believes that this innovation is extremely important and its introduction to the nuclear industry will be soon even though this industry is usually skeptical about new technologies.

4. Graphene in Thermoelectric

Seebeck effect is defined as a thermoelectric effect occurring when heat is applied to one of the two dissimilar electric conductors (or semiconductors) to move the electrons from the hot part to the cooler part and produce electricity. However, the energy generated by this method is really small, usually quantified by microvolts. Still, it is believed that it can be used to benefit from the heat generated by the engines, which is practically wasted. Graphene can be used to increase the Seebeck effect created by Strontium Titanate, almost up to 5 times.

5. Graphene in Alcohol Distillation

Graphene’s physical properties is so interesting and unique that, it would let large water molecules to pass through but stop Helium molecules which could leak through glass. Andre Geim (one of the inventors of Graphene) and Rahul Nair from Manchester University have tried sealing a bottle of vodka with graphene membrane that they have developed, and discovered that graphene could distill ethanol effectively even at room temperature and without the vacuum needed for distillation methods. This area of utilization can be employed in alcoholic beverages, fuel, water purification and so on.

6. Graphene in Fuel Cells

Even hydrogen atoms, known as the smallest atom, cannot pass through Graphene. In another research, Sir Andre Geim and his team have tested if protons would be blocked by graphene or not. Suprisingly, protons could pass through graphene. This property would improve fuel cells performance by lowering the fuel crossover which is a major problem with fuel cells that decreases durability and efficiency.

Graphene’s Applications in Medicine

7. Graphene in Drug Delivery

Functionalized graphene can be used to carry chemotherapy drugs to tumors for cancer patients. Graphene based carriers targeted cancer cells better and reduced and decreased toxicity of the effected healthy cells. Drug delivery is not limited to cancer treatment, anti-inflammatory drugs have also been carried by graphene & chitosan combinations and yielded promising results.

8. Graphene in Cancer Treatment

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease. Moreover, it can stop them from growing any further in many types of cancer by intervening the correct formation of the tumor or causing autophagy which leads to the death of cancer cells.

9. Graphene in Gene Delivery

Gene delivery is a method used to cure some genetic diseases by bringing foreign DNA into cells. Graphene Oxide modified by Polyethyleneimine can be used for these purposes is expected to show low cytotoxicity, as it did in the drug delivery case.

10. Graphene in Photothermal Therapy

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a approach used to eliminate abnormal cells in the targeted area of the body by irradiating a special agent which creates heat capable of destructing those cells. Graphene oxide increases effectiveness of PTT by a number of ways. First, it can be used to carry chemotherapeutic drugs to the tumor cells while they are being exposed to PTT simultaneously. Combining chemo and PTT like this is more effective than using one of these approaches alone. A nanocomposite of reduced graphene oxide (QD-CRGO) can be used during PTT for bioimaging of the cancer cells. Moreover, in their research, a group of scientists from Texas Tech and Texas A&M University have shown that using graphene oxide functionalized with biocompatible porphyrin as a platform for PTT for brain cancer have killed more cancer cells than PTT alone, while giving no harm to the healthy cells.

11. Graphene in Diabetes Monitoring

Scientists from the University of Bath have developed a blood glucose monitoring test which does not pierce the skin, unlike currently used finger prick tests. This patch, including a graphene sensor, is able to work on a small area containing at least one hair follicle. It detects the glucose by pulling it from the fluid present between the cells. This does not only end the painful methods of blood sugar monitoring, but is also expected to increase the accuracy of the results.

12. Graphene in Dialysis

Graphene membranes are not only useful for the energy, nuclear and food industries. A group of researchers from MIT showed that graphene can be used to filter the blood from wastes, drugs and chemicals as well. Graphene’s superiority in this case is that it is 20 times thinner than traditional membranes which leads to significant decrease in the time spent in the dialysis for the patients.

13. Graphene in Bone and Teeth Implantation

Hydroxyapatite, a form of calcium apatite, is a material used as a synthetic bone substitute for regenerated bone and dental tissues. Graphene, combined with Hydroxyapatite and Chitosan, have shown increase in the strength, corrosion resistance, flexibility and mechanical & osteogenic properties of the substitute when compared to HAp alone.

14. Graphene in Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy

Bones are not the only tissue graphene can cure. Certain forms of graphene were shown to be compatible with human osteoblasts and human mesenchymal cells, showing similar properties with the cells’ physiological microenvironment. Cells grown with this method demonstrated better growth, proliferation, and differentiation while being ineffective on the cells’ viability. Stem cells are especially important in tissue reengineering to improve the lives of people with neuronal disorders or neurodegenerative diseases.

15. Graphene UV Sensors

UV sensors are used for detecting dangerous levels of ultra-violet radiation which can lead to skin problems or even cancer. However, it is not the only use of UV sensors, they are used in the military, optical communication, and environmental monitoring as well. On its own, graphene may not present a high photoresponsivity but when it is combined with other materials, they create flexible, transparent, environmentally-friendly and low-cost UV sensors which will lead to technologies such as wearable electronics in the close future.

16. Graphene for the Brain

Mysteries about the brain haven’t been revealed completely yet. A graphene-based technology may allow scientists to uncover many of the unknowns by recording brains electrical activity. This new device is able to hear the frequencies below older technologies’ limits, and it doesn’t interfere with the functioning of the brain. Besides research on how the brain works, the technology can help the scientists to understand the reasons behind epilepsy seizures and develop treatments for the patients. Moreover, discovering more about the brain could lead to developing new Brain-Computer interfaces which are used in many areas including control of prosthetic limbs.

17. Graphene in HIV Diagnosis

Despite all the improvements, there are many drawbacks on current HIV diagnosis methods. They can either detect the antibodies in the body nearly a month later the patient was infected, or they can detect the virus itself however these methods take some time to process themselves and more expensive when compared to the antibody method. A biosensor made of silicon or graphene, containing Gold Nanoparticles was developed by Spanish National Research Council, which targets p24, an antigen found on HIV. The new method can detect the virus only a week after being infected and at levels 100,000 times lower than what the current tests can notice. Moreover, results of the test are ready within 5 hours of being tested.

18. Graphene Biosensors

One of the advantages of graphene is its ability to detect minimal amounts of substances. Even a single molecule in a large volume can be detected with it. Biosensors made of graphene, graphene oxide or reduced graphene oxide show ultrasensitive properties when detecting DNA, ATP, dopamine, oligonucleotides, thrombin, and different atoms. There are several medical companies that already sell medical sensors made with graphene.

19. Graphene Bactericide

Graphene is a magnificent bactericidal material as it avoids the generation of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, by damaging their cell membranes between its outer layers. When compared to different derivatives of Graphene, Graphene Oxide and reduced Graphene Oxide shows the best antibacterial effects. GO can also be used as a compound with silver nanoparticles to increase antibacterial properties even further.

20. Graphene in Birth Control

Graphene has all the properties that is desired in a condom: it is flexible, extra strong and extremely thin. Researchers from Manchester University have worked on developing a “supercondom” made of graphene and latex combined. The research has received many funding, including one from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

21. Graphene in Deaf-Mute Communication

A group of Chinese scientists have developed a wearable, bio-integrated device that can translate sign language into text and spoken language. The device uses graphene’s incredible conductivity and flexibility properties.

22. Graphene in Body Scans

Unlike X-rays, T-waves which can be used for body scanning are harmless to human body. However, there is a catch. T-waves, or THZ radiation, is hard to both detect and generate. The good news is, with the help of some modifications and other materials, CVD graphene can detect THZ radiation successfully. This will not only lead to safer body scans, but also incredibly faster internet in the future.

Graphene’s Applications in Electronics

23. Graphene in Generating Light

Researchers at MIT have discovered that when light hits the surface of graphene, it’s slowed down and the photons started moving in a speed very close to the speed of electrons which increases when moving on graphene. This coincidence makes it possible to break the light barrier for electrons and creates light. The advantage of this method over the conventional ways of generating light such as fluorescent or LEDs is that it’s expected to be more efficient, faster, compact and controllable, and it looks like generating light from graphene will be a key milestone in developing even smaller, faster and more efficient computer chips.

24. Graphene Transistors

The new supertransistors, which replace silicon with graphene, can increase the speed of computers up to one thousand times when compared to current technology. Increasing speed of computers is a crucial step for many technologies to be able to improve, including but not limited to blockchain, simulations of the outer space, robots, and stock markets.

25. Graphene in Waterproof Electronics

One of the main problems of electronic devices which people are afraid of is being dropped to water. Instead of covering the device with tight-fitted screws, graphene proposes a great solution for this problem. Engineers from Iowa State University print the circuits of the device with graphene flakes because graphene is transparent, strong and conducts electricity. Graphene flakes are arranged in a specific order and non-conductive binders are used to combine them which improved the conductivity. As in the most application areas, graphene again puts a great solution to this problem.

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