Scientists have used graphene to make internet 100-times faster, to make instantly charging batteries, to remove nuclear waste and to even treat Alzheimers, but these innovations won’t be making their way out of the lab anytime soon.
On Reddit user super_aids_69 responds to a question on when graphene will be industrialized.
I currently work in a research lab where several members are studying the properties and manufacturing techniques of graphene. There is a lot of research in the topic right now, and this is mostly because of increased media exposure and “buzz” surrounding the material.
The graphene that we can grow today is small and expensive, that’s the bottom line. Making large scale devices of material that is incredibly delicate is hard. You may be thinking “but graphene is super strong!,” and it is. But maintaining a certain phase of material at conditions we consider “normal” is not straight forward.
One leading researcher in the field is Dr. Jamie Warner at Oxford. Look up some of his stuff if you’re interested in real science on the subject of graphene.
This is probably not the answer you wanted, but there is no good way of addressing this question. Often times research is non-linear. Also, we may or may not get to that point. There are other promising avenues for technology processing that we are exploring.
TL;DR: Not anytime soon.
Image from YouTube
Comments
lamb
Time to take it away from the Scientists and put it to use in Industry. Sorry researchers, the time has come and the end of your research Stipend is closing down.