Graphene research is probably one of the fastest growing fields in condensed matter physics.
- The material is one atom thick, albeit it can be seen with an ordinary optical microscope.
- It has the properties of a good metal, although its electronic properties do not fit the standard theory of metals because its electrons propagate as massless Dirac particles.
- Graphene is also resistant against extrinsic impurities because its chemical bonding is very specific and consequently graphene conducts electricity better, with less energy loss, than silicon (the platform of all modern electronics).
- Moreover, graphene is one of the strongest materials ever measured in terms of Young’s modulus and elastic stiffness (the only other material that is comparable in strength is diamond), nevertheless it is one of softest (the only example of a metallic membrane).
- It can be used as an ultrasensitive nano-mechanical resonator besides being highly impermeable. Hence it is not surprising that so many high-tech industries are interested in developing graphene-based devices for a plethora of applications, from high-frequency transistors to reversible hydrogen storage.
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