A photo-processed polymer made with graphene is being used to make ceramic glass, which is already in use in some high-end jewellery and consumer electronics.
Key points:The polymer is produced from a chemical reaction involving two moleculesThe process involves producing two different sheets of graphene, one made from the other”This new technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we make cerams and other complex materials, which are difficult to manufacture in the lab,” Dr Rong Liu, professor of chemistry at the University of New South Wales and lead author of a paper in Nature Chemistry, told ABC News.
“It’s a breakthrough in our ability to produce materials with high surface properties, and to make them cheaply and easily.”
This has a huge potential to dramatically change the way materials are made and the way people use them.
“Professor Liu’s group at the university, based in Sydney, has already produced graphene oxide for the first time, a polymer that is already being used in a range of high-tech products including mobile phones, TVs and solar panels.”
Graphene is a great material for making ceramic materials because it has good electrical conductivity, good resistance to corrosion and it’s easy to make,” Professor Liu said.”
So this is a breakthrough that will be a big step towards making ceramels and other materials.
“The polymer was made from two molecules of carbon called bismirite, which was used to combine the two molecules.”
The result is that this second molecule is what’s called the ‘electrical conductor’.””
When ferrite gets added to the bistable carbon, it turns into the carbon’s surface.”
The result is that this second molecule is what’s called the ‘electrical conductor’.
“Ferrite is a pretty good conductor because it’s strong and strong-willed and it can withstand very high temperatures.”
Dr Liu said the process for producing graphene oxide involved mixing the two different molecules in a special reaction.
“You get a graphene oxide from a bismudite-ferrite reaction and you mix it with a chemical called boron nitride to make boronic acid,” he said.
While the borone nitride in the process does not create the characteristic colour, it does form the bisphenol-19 (BNO) ring.
Boronic acids are commonly used as a disinfectant and as a preservative in products, and they can also be used to create organic materials.
“There’s a wide range of applications for this chemical that we can see with the use of boronyl compounds as a catalyst,” Professor Luo said.
Dr Liu is confident that his group’s polymer will eventually lead to the production of ceramic with the same properties as ceramic glass.
“We’re in a very early stage and it could take some time before it becomes commercially viable,” he added.
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