How To Make Graphene

The thinnest yet strongest material known to man.

If you put an elephant on top of a pencil, and the pencil on top of a piece of graphene, the pencil would break but the graphene wouldn't. This immense strength is down to its rigid arrangement of carbon atoms.

Graphene was discovered in 2004 by scientists at the University of Manchester using only a flake of graphite and scotch tape. When the flake was cleaved in half repeatedly, it left a layer of carbon atoms just one atom thick. This layer became known as graphene.

Derek Muller illustrates how the strong yet flexible bonds between the carbon atoms in graphene make it harder than diamond. Not only is graphene exceptionally strong, but it is as good as conducting electricity as copper. In fact because no carbon atoms are out of place, the electrons are conducted through graphene so fast that we need to use Einstein’s theory of relativity to understand it.

These unique properties are enabling scientists to use graphene to create tough materials, touch screen and energy-efficient computers, and more efficient solar cells.

This video is Derek's entry to the techNyou Science Ambassadors competition.