Graphene -
A Brief History
Graphene is a particularly interesting material. Although it is a close relative of graphite, it contains a number of very different properties. This makes Graphene an extremely important product if it can be used in real world applications.
Graphene is an Allotrope of carbon. It comprises a single layer of carbon atoms, naturally arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It was originally theoretically postulated as far back as 1947 and experimentally discovered in 1962 but it was not until 2004 that it was unambiguously produced. The discoverers being subsequently awarded a Nobel Prize.
What is Graphene?


Graphene is one of the thinnest materials ever created. It has a tensile strength in the order of 200 times the strength of steel and has excellent corrosion proofing properties. Graphene was also predicted to have Superconducting properties, but this most interesting property has proven to be particularly elusive to achieve………. until very recently.
Super Strength
The Magic Angle
Various methods of Graphene production have been developed and duly patented by others. However, extreme care needs to be considered to ensure that the Graphene advertised as being produced is not just very thin graphite. These being two closely related products but each possessing very different and important properties.
The discovery of correlated states and Cooper Pairs based Superconductivity has recently been identified when multi-layers of Graphene are laid / twisted together in a particular angular mis-alignment. This mis-alignment is often referred to as “The Magic Angle”. It was originally identified as being in the order of 1.1°. However, it has been even more recently found that not only is bi-layer Graphene a Superconductor at higher critical temperatures, but adding a third layer at 54.7356° appears to enable the Superconductivity to be retained even in the presence of strong magnetic fields. The various “Magic Angle” developments and properties of twisted multiple layer Graphene have been realised in laboratories as providing a robust family of Moiré pattern Graphene based Superconductors.
The Magic Angle / Source: Wikipedia
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