<
https://theconversation.com/the-wonder-material-graphene-can-be-made-using-a-kitchen-blender-a-mobile-phone-and-a-newspaper-290360>
"There is something slightly ridiculous about using a kitchen blender to make
graphene. This is, after all, the “wonder material” associated with futuristic
technologies. You might reasonably expect its production to involve equally
futuristic equipment. Often, it does.
Producing graphene in liquid form can rely on purified graphite (better known
to many as the “lead” in pencils), specialist solvents or additives, ultrapure
water and carefully controlled processing. Our latest research asked what
happens if you try to make it using things you’d find in your household.
Could you start with graphite found in electronic waste, use old newspaper to
help hold it in a liquid, mix everything in ordinary tap water and still end up
with useful graphene?
Graphene is many times stronger than steel, yet it weighs less than paper or
aluminium. It is also an exceptional conductor of electricity. Since its
discovery just over 20 years ago, it has found uses in power banks and
batteries, in medical sensors and even to make stronger concrete. Many other
practical applications beckon for this incredible material.
Inside phones, laptops and other electronic devices are thin sheets of graphite
used to spread heat away from components so they don’t overheat. When a device
reaches the end of its life, that graphite generally follows suit and ends up
as electronic waste. Chemically, however, it’s still graphite and has the
potential to become its wondrous cousin, graphene.
The scale of the electronic waste problem is enormous. Around 62 million tonnes
were generated worldwide in 2022, yet only 22.3% was documented as being
properly collected and recycled. Valuable metals understandably attract much of
the attention, but electronics also contain less glamorous materials that could
have another life.
Could these graphite heat spreaders be one of them? Graphite is essentially a
large number of sheets of the element carbon stacked on top of one another,
like a deck of cards. These sheets are generally one atom thick. Each
individual sheet of carbon is graphene.
The challenge is separating those sheets without destroying them. We used an
Irish-pioneered process called liquid-phase exfoliation. We put graphite into a
liquid and applied enough energy to break the stacked layers apart.
From this liquid form, the graphene can be turned into coatings, ink,
membranes and composites with many potential applications."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
