Graphene Properties

Description

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon in the form of a two-dimensional, atomic-scale, honey-comb lattice in which one atom forms each vertex. It is the basic structural element of other allotropes, including graphite, charcoal, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes. It can also be considered as an indefinitely large aromatic molecule, the ultimate case of the family of flat polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.Graphene has many extraordinary properties. It is about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel with a hypothetical thickness of 3.35Å which is equal to the thickness of the graphene sheet.It conducts heat and electricity efficiently and is nearly transparent.Graphene is a crystalline allotrope of carbon with 2-dimensional properties. Its carbon atoms are densely packed in a regular atomic-scale chicken wire (hexagonal) pattern. Graphene can self-repair holes in its sheets, when exposed to molecules containing carbon, such as hydrocarbons. Graphene is a zero-gap semiconductor, because its conduction and valence bands meet at the Dirac points.Graphene can be a ligand to coordinate metals and metal ions by introducing functional groups.