Graphene Uses and Applications in Electronics

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Graphene in Wearable Electronics

Researchers are looking for new ways to power wearable devices. One of the outstanding ways is flexible batteries printed on a fabric with graphene. This enables people to wear their batteries and power their smartphones or other devices, literally. If this can be achieved, it will be an environmentally friendly and smart e-textile that can store energy. Carrying heavy power-banks or chargers will be history by the invention of this amazing idea.

5. Graphene for Touchscreens

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is the commercial product used as transparent conductor of the smartphones, tablets, and computers. Researchers from the Rice University have developed a graphene-based thin film to be used in touchscreens. It is found that graphene-based thin film beats ITO and any other materials in terms of performance because it has lower resistance and higher transparency. Thus, Graphene is the new candidate material for the replacement of ITO.

6. Graphene in Flexible Screens

The world of technology would be one of the great beneficiaries of the standardization of graphene as a material to incorporate in products such as smartphones or tablets. It would be the definitive step to advance in the world of smartphones.

Recently, a Chinese company has produced a bendable smartphone with a graphene touch screen. Since one layer of graphene is strong, light, transparent and very conductive, it meets all the requirements for the production of smartphones. The smartphone of the Chinese company has the ability to wrap a twist completely, and it weighs only 200 grams which propose a perfect convenience for usage. However, production of graphene is expensive at an industrial scale relative to other materials used in smartphones. Researchers are looking for ways to produce graphene at lower costs. When this problem and some others are solved, old phones seem to be replaced by these flexible smartphones in the future.

7. Graphene in Hard Drives and Memories

Usually, graphene is not considered magnetic, at least not in a controllable or useful way. In 2015, researchers from U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have found a way to turn graphene into a reliable and controllable electromagnetic material. If this innovation is used in hard drives, it is expected to have a capacity almost a million times greater than what we use today.

8. Graphene in Elastic Robots

A team of researchers has developed a gel that is sensitive to near infrared light so that it could be used in numerous applications when creating flexible or elastic robotic parts. The snake-like robots created with this method are able to change its form without any forces from the outside. Their future applications can vary from search-and-rescue to medical operations.

9. Graphene as a Superconductor

Scientists have discovered that graphene can also be used as a superconductive material. Two layers of Graphene can conduct the electron without any resistance. This can be accomplished by twisting these two layers of graphene at a ‘magic angle’ which is 1.1°. Most of the superconductive materials show their properties at temperatures close to absolute zero. Even High temperature superconductive materials relative to usual ones can work at around -140°C. In other words, these superconductive materials require a huge energy for cooling. If graphene can be used as a superconductive material at temperatures close to room temperature, there will be a huge revolution for many application areas.

10. Graphene in Optoelectronics

Researchers are working on a new material for the optical communications since energy and power requirement increase as the time passes. A research conducted by the collaboration of different universities has shown that integrating graphene with silicon can beat current silicon photonic technology. How can it beat the current state of art? Because devices made by graphene are cheaper, simpler and work at high-scale wavelengths. Apparently, graphene will present a low-energy optical telecommunication and many other convenient optical systems.

11. Graphene in Optical Sensors

Graphene has a lot of breakthroughs in industry and science owing to its super properties. Researchers tried to shrink the light to make optical sensors smaller. Recently, the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelona, with the collaboration of Graphene Flagship team, conducted a study which explains the reduction of light down to just a single atom thick which is thought to be impossible by many researchers. This discovery will lead to a huge step in ultra-small optical sensors and switches.

12. Graphene Security Sensors

One of the first practical and real applications of graphene was security labels. Instead of the bulky sensors that many stores use, the sensors made with graphene are smaller, more aesthetic, able to bend without creating a damage on the circuit, and cost only a couple cents per tag.

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