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| Fig 1. Graphene and its descendants: top left: graphene; top right: graphite = stacked graphene; bottom left: nanotube=rolled graphene; bottom right: fullerene=wrapped graphene (adapted from ref.[1]).2 National University of Singapore |
Though the article tends to reset expectations, I think there is still a lot of good research to do with graphene in the foreseeable future. The statement of being "decades" out shouldn't discourage anyone. There's room for a few more scientists; a few more Nobel's that are either currently in grad school, in kindergarten or might not have even been born yet. We just have to have the foresight to build the education infrastructure to develop the young people that will do it in this country or elsewhere (likely Singapore). Somewhat irritatingly, the microwave and the Internet have given us a sense of instantaneous expectations in research and especially politics. May we never get to the point where we can walk up to a 3-D printer (the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle pretty much kills all hope of a replicator) and say: Tea, Earl Grey: Hot. Instead of the Star Trek post-apocalyptic utopia, we may be insufferable to the point of obsessive compulsive, if - like our conundrums with our mobile devices and microwaves - such a device quits working...
The wonder material. It’s just one atom thick but 200 times stronger than steel; extremely conductive but see-through and flexible. Graphene has shot to fame since its discovery in 2004 by UK-based researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, for which the University of Manchester pair were awarded the 2010 Nobel prize in physics.
We’ve heard the facts. We’ve read about how graphene could push the boundaries of today’s technology in almost unlimited ways. We’ve even pictured an elephant balanced on a pencil. But looking past the headlines, it’s clear that a lot of the most exciting areas of graphene science are still in the early stages. It will be years, decades perhaps, before we see the first graphene-enhanced smartphones, aeroplanes or bulletproof vests. But beyond these pie-in-the-sky promises, the underlying research is gathering pace.
Scientific American: Graphene: Looking beyond the Hype, Emma Stoye and ChemistryWorld
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