Material Sciences and Innovations

[Patientman]

This material has been around for a few years, but they claim it is “the world’s strongest and thinnest.”
Quoted from their web site:
Graphene
Graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms in a honeycomb crystal lattice (hexagons). Graphene is the building-block of Graphite (used in pencil tips) and it has some amazing properties – it’s considered the world’s strongest and thinnest material.

Graphene is exciting researchers and businesses around the world – as it’s strong and thin and possesses very interesting properties. Graphene has a lot of possible applications in the fields of electricity, conductivity, energy generation, batteries, sensors and more.

Addresses:
http://www.graphene-info.com/

Richard Kaner, Professor of Chemistry and Biology, UCLA, is featured in the following video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtM6XJlynkk

It would be interesting to know how it stands up to intense temperatures.

[JimmyT]

I wonder if it’s strong enough for a space elevator tether?

[delt0r]

Graphene is already old in that we have had in the lab in very small samples for a few years. Its not quite as strong as carbon nano tubes however. Also its not stable in a flat configuration over on a small size. It will roll onto itself.

Its strength is very high, but as always bulk material strength is always much less than microscopic “bond” strength due to imperfections that cannot be avoided due to thermodynamic reasons. There is at least one paper that suggests that strong enough fibers for a space elevator with CNT will not be possible.

Also bear in mind that if you have something 1/2 enough strong for a space elevator, making pretty impressive rockets are quite easy.

[Patientman]

The video discusses “Super capacitor.” Does the charge and discharge capability of Graphene have a possible application in the release of energy after a pulse from a plasma focus burst. Or, as the recycle stage of storage for energy to be re-released from a fusion event.

[Author]

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