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From #20forecasts: Spark of a Nanorevolution
Graphene Materials Spark a NanoRevolution
It’s the stuff of science fiction.
Graphene is two dimensional material that has the potential to change how we interact with our three dimensional reality. It has been around in the lab for decades, first existing only in a theoretical state. Then in 2003 researchers rubbed graphite (the material found in pencils) and scotch tape together, creating a single layer of carbon atoms, bonded together in a repeating hexagonal structure.
While this structure is incredibly simple, it begins to unlock new capacities. Higher electron flow means more efficient solar cells, longer lasting batteries, and faster computer chips. Remarkable optical properties allow for higher resolution cameras, and its structural stability and other physical properties mean that a single sheet of graphene, one molecule thick, can withstand an elephant balanced on a pencil. Graphene is the strongest, lightest weight material known to humans.
It is the unique mechanical properties of graphene that led Aravind Vijayaraghavan, a researcher at University of Manchester, to consider potential applications in response to Bill Gates Next Generation Condom Challenge. According to Gates’ call to action, “condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable, particularly given that the decisions about use must be made just prior to intercourse”. Aravind proposes a graphene condom which utilizes the strength and durability of graphene to make the world’s next generation condom.
The graphene condom is a useful metaphor for exploring the idea of “technology that works so well, you won’t even notice.” This applies to the full suite of technology that we use in our daily lives. How often does your phone run out of batteries? How long do you have to wait for your computer to wake up? How long does it take for that video game to download? How often do your instagrams come out blurry? Advances in basic material technology can help streamline use, allowing our devices to become peripheral to the interactions that really matter.
I called up Aravind, the proponent of the graphene condom, to see what else he’s thinking about. Aside from addressing serious global health issues, much of Aravind’s research focuses on sensors; optical, electronic, and biological. This is an incredibly interesting area because better sensors help us better understand our world. Aravind says,
“There are a large number of biological molecules that we can’t currently sense with the existing sensors… there are lots of gaps that could potentially be plugged through a new technology.”
As we begin to understand how the bits and atoms of our reality fit together, we gain a better understanding of where the levers are to modify the world. One particularly interesting line of research comes out of MIT. Researchers there injected graphene nano tubes into the leaves of plants, improving the electron flow, and effectively tripling the efficiency of photosynthesis. This natural process of photosynthesis life has been continually refined through evolution over the past 3.4 billion years. MIT was able to triple the efficiency of photosynthesis within the lifetime of just one plant.
The technology is already here, and it works in the lab. Now the question is about scale. Aravind Vijayaraghavan has this to say about adoption of new technologies by society,
“Its not just the properties, its not just the ability of graphene that determines whether or not its going to change the world. It’s also economics, it’s also the inertia of the current technology. There are things already out there that are much better than what we are using every day, but you don’t get to use it. Either because it’s too expensive, or because the manufacturers think the current technology can provide them with enough profits to keep it going; they don’t have the motivation to switch to a new technology. It might be better, but you’d have to put in a lot of capital investment to get it working.
“On paper, there are lots of applications where graphene is better. Whether it will become commercially viable is a completely different story… Don’t quote me as saying it’s going to, but always quote me as saying it could. There are lots of non-scientific barriers to adoption.“
Graphene may not change the world, but it certainly could...
This post is the 5th in a series exploring IFTF's new interactive map from our Technology Horizons program, 20 Combinatorial Forecasts—featured in FastCompany Co.EXIST's "When Technologies Combine, Amazing Innovation Happens." Every few weeks we'll take a deep dive into another of the map's twenty forecasts on the future of technology at the intersections of different fields.
Curious about the Technology Horizons program?
- Follow the forecasts at @iftf and #20forecasts
- Find out more about the program
- Check out previous years' Technology Horizons research
- Contact Sean Ness ([email protected])