In Technology Ace we have spoken much of graphene. A substance that was created through the work of Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, scientists who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 thanks to able to isolate the material at room temperature. This allowed its creation was easier than it was theorized decades ago which led to consistent evidence realized the many properties he owned graphene.
In theory, apart from the complicated chemical and physical principles involved, graphene is simply a sheet of carbon atoms in their pure state, arranged in a hexagonal pattern which are repeated along the whole surface being sought create a sort of “atomic lattice” that binds strongly with each other.
This arrangement of atoms that is graphene is about 200 times stronger than steel, while a great electrical conductor, can be transparent if desired, has an elasticity and flexibility enviable despite being so hard, reaches be as light as carbon, very fast transports electrons, consumes less energy when manufactured and operate transistors with him and even repairs only when the structure is damaged.
This is why in practice applications are almost endless and many of them are related to the area of technology, which is attractive to us and all the scientific and technological community to see how, in the very near future, graphene will revolutionize our lives if these applications become mass market products in real life.
High Frequency Processors
One of the first applications of public knowledge came by IBM when the company said it was working on the development of graphene-based processors, also achieving the creation of complete integrated circuits, replacing silicon as a basic material for manufacturing.
As graphene consumes less power than silicon to perform the same tasks, contributes to solving one of the problems faced by computer processor: heat dissipation. Because the more energy spent a CPU, GPU, or any type of processor, the more heat will be generated and more unstable to use until the material no longer resist.
And in this much does the frequency at which a processor works. Because a higher frequency, the higher the energy consumption and hence heat generation. In theory, current silicon processor can reach 40GHz frequency, but if we replace the silicon to create graphene transistors that give life to a CPU, it could be up to 1.000GHz, which is certainly an improvement on to the current reality.
Flexible Touch Screens
By being able to conduct electrons very good shape with almost no heat in the process, researchers at the University of Texas and the University of South Korea found that a graphene sheet can be used in the development of touch screens, using the fact that graphene sheet can be totally transparent, ideal for placing over a panel of pixels without reducing the brightness of your backlight.
In addition, this thin sheet of graphene sensitive electrical conduction and would capture our touch can be very flexible, contributing to what could be future flexible touchscreens, it could well be accompanied by flexible OLED technology for the development of this kind of technology.
High Speed Cables
Researchers at the University of Cambridge graphene obtained that were able to capture a large amount of light, which can be used in the creation of fiber-optic cables so fast that benefit from other properties of the material: the electrons move quickly on it.
Thus, graphene is promising leads that could move data a hundred times faster than the current one, which could be implemented in the area of telecommunication network installation faster, thus increasing the capacity and speed of Internet, mobile telephony and ultimately, all communications are conducted on our planet.
Super-Batteries
Perhaps one of the most exciting discoveries is related to the field of batteries, where technology today allows devices running for few hours to require an electrical charge that can last another several hours, degrading the user experience on mobile phones, tablets and laptops.
But is developing a technology that uses graphene shows two properties that will turn the battery industry: ten times the energy storage capacity, and a tenfold reduction in load time for it.
This will definitely revolutionize mobile devices. Can you imagine a smartphone that lasting ten days on without needing to load or a laptop with 70-hour energy independence?
Headphones and Speakers than Professionals
Zhou Qin and Alex Zettl are two scientists from the University of California who want to revolutionize the audio market with its headphones and speakers of graphene. The idea is to create a diaphragm made of graphene which is placed between two electrodes to create a magnetic field, whereupon the graphene vibrates and produces sound.
According to investigators, without much further work to “tune” the headphones and give them special treatment, it got a sound to the current pair of high quality products. And as the diaphragm used graphene sheet is very thin, the size and weight can also be very small, so it could create high quality headphones at the same time are very portable.
House Paint that Absorbs Energy
Solar Panels? They can be a thing of the past. For researchers at the University of Manchester have created a graphene-based material capable of absorbing the energy emitted by the sun to transform it into usable energy in the home, just do not need a rude and heavy on the roof panel, as it requires only a thin layer can even be used as paint on the facade.
This would extend the useful surface to capture energy while you may have an aesthetic value as the material changes color. And the photovoltaic device achieved is as or more efficient than current solar technology, being able to solve the energy issue in areas where it is difficult to locate a conventional power lines.
Cameras Thousand Times More Sensitive
A current camera is basically composed of a lens through which light passes and then comes to a sensor, pinning it and transforming it into digital information. What researchers at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore achieved was to create a sensor made of graphene, increasing the sensitivity of the device a thousand times in relation to current technologies CMOS or CCD.
We’re talking about an improvement outrageously high for what they are sensors used in professional cameras and compact, allowing better capture in low light and in general for any occasion. Moreover, these new graphene sensors consume ten times less power and are five times cheaper to mass produce than conventional, so very interesting, its release we almost needed.
