"Future chips may be 10 times faster, all thanks to graphene"; "Graphene may be used in COVID-19 detection"; and "Graphene allows batteries to charge 5x faster"—those are just a handful of recent dramatic headlines lauding the possibilities of graphene. Graphene is an incredibly light, strong and durable material made of a single layer of carbon atoms. With these properties, it is no wonder researchers have been studying ways that graphene could advance material science and technology for decades.
I never know what to expect when I tell people I study graphene—some have never heard of it, while others have seen some version of these headlines and inevitably ask, "So what's the holdup?"
Graphene is a fascinating material, just as the sensational headlines suggest, but it is only just starting be used in real-world applications. The problem lies not in graphene's properties, but in the fact that it is still incredibly difficult and expensive to manufacture at commercial scales.
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