CAJ #2 - Difference between graphine and graphite

Graphene! What comes first to your mind? Did you, just like me, think that graphene is the material used in pencils? If you did, you were wrong. The central core of a pencil is called graphite. Graphite is a mineral that naturally occurs in metamorphic rock in different continents of the world. It contains two layers of carbon sheets and each layer contains very strong bonds. The layers of graphite are able to slide across each other. Graphite's abillity to conduct electricity and heat well makes it an outstanding material. Graphite can be found in pencils, batteries, brake linings, refractories and many other products.

Graphene is extracted from graphite. It is entirely composed of carbon atoms forming only one single layer of graphite. The two-dimensional crystal in only an atom thick. No material is thinner than an atom because if it were, it would not count as a material anymore. This means that graphene is one of the lightest and thinnest materials in the world. A square meter of graphene is a thousand times thinner than paper. Furthermore, graphene is one of the strongest materials known to mankind. It is about 200 times stronger but six times lighter than steel. A single sheet weighing only 0.77 milligrams can support a 4kg cat. Another astonishing property of graphene is that although it is only one atom thick, it is visible with the bare eye.

Graphene is almost entirely transparent. It is impermeable to gasses, even those as light as hydrogen or helium. Graphene is often called „the most diverse material known to mankind“ because of its many properties that are only exploited when graphene is combined with other materials, including gases, metals, and sources of carbon. Chemical components can be added to its surface to alter its properties. 

For a long time copper and silicon have been considered one of the best conductors of heat and electricity. However, the discovery of graphene showed otherwise. Graphene conducts electricty a thousand times better than copper. In comparison to silicon, graphene is better bacause it is highly flexible, not brittle and conducts electricity much more efficiently. 

XOXO A.