For years unbeknownst to the average consumer there has been considerable research and money put into the exploration of a potentially revolutionary material called graphene, which has only been put to use in few real-world applications to date.

The potential benefits of graphene as a power source was discovered in 2003 by researchers at the University of Manchester. In 2004 two physicists achieved the seemingly impossible when they managed to isolate sheets from a granite lump just an atom in thickness. This produced a physics-defying result: a 2D material that acts like a 3D material.

What makes graphene even crazier is one atom of thickness material is 200-times stronger than steel, more conductive than copper and flexible as rubber. This means while graphene batteries are arguably the goal, you will see graphene in a tonne of things in just a few years.

The term "disruptive technology" gets thrown around in tech media as much as the words "cloud", "big data" and "blockchain" but when it comes to graphene, it is a legitimate disruptive technology that is going to change lives.

If you're still not convinced, to really highlight the significance of the discovery and future applications of graphene, six years after the discovery the two physicists responsible were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. They don't just give these prizes out to anyone.

Potential applications of graphene include (not an exhaustive list)

• High capacity stable batteries for electronic devices and electric vehicles
• Powering low-powered devices like pacemakers, potentially infinitely
• Stronger phone screens (an alternative to fragile glass), as well as flexible screens
• Enhanced solar cells
• Stronger bulletproof vests (and armours)
• Longer lifespan glass in building applications
• Graphene diaphragms in audio applications (speakers, earphones)
• Graphene tyres that last longer than traditional rubber tyres
• Supercapacitors

Why is it taking so long?

It has been 15 years since the University of Manchester made their groundbreaking discovery, so why is graphene technology taking so long to come to market? Surprisingly, if you look at how long it has taken for other inventions to come to market, graphene isn't moving as slowly as you might think.

Look how long it took for smartphones to get to the point where you're essentially carrying a powerful multicore CPU computer in your pocket. A lot of the innovation in a smartphone goes back a long time in electronics and hardware.

The small-form-factor chips, capacitive touch screens and tightly packed embedded electronics we see in everything today are a culmination of multiple decades of research.

While some of the more exciting graphene applications have yet to hit consumers, you can actually buy products that contain graphene already, although graphene batteries have yet to find their way to market in the form of a smartphone or portable electronic device batteries, they are coming.

In late 2017 Samsung announced a team of researchers at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) developed a "graphene ball" which sees a 45% increase in capacity and five times the charging speeds of lithium-ion batteries.

In the published research work, Samsung states in theory a battery based on the graphene ball material requires only 12 minutes to fully charge and can maintain a highly stable 60 degree Celsius temperature.

And you also have Huawei via The Watt Laboratory (under Huawei's Central Research Institute) who are exploring using graphene alongside traditional lithium-ion batteries to allow them to run at hotter temperatures, increasing the lifespan and allowing it to hold its charge for twice as long.

Really when you look at how long it has taken to go from discovery to almost consumer, 15 years isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go charge my phone.

_{image from pixabay}