First things first, what exactly is Graphene?

To put it simply, Graphene is a material. However, it’s not just any material, it’s the world’s thinnest material. In fact, it’s 1 million times thinner than a human hair! It was developed at the University of Manchester in 2004, a feat which earned the two researchers who isolated the substance the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 and a knighthood in the 2012 New Year's Honours list. So, as you can probably tell, it’s quite a big deal!

The material is not only super thin, it has a whole host of other properties that could make it the material that changes the way everything is made…

#1 - It’s Strong

To say it’s the thinnest material in the world, it’s incredibly strong, around 200 times stronger than steel! This is a definite advantage if its limitless possibilities were to be turned towards construction and building works.

#2 - It’s Light

Extremely light, in fact. Single layer Graphene is only one atom thick, even when layered the material remains incredibly lightweight. Anybody who has spent a day lugging around steel beams, and concrete, will be excited to know that in the future you possibly won’t have to worry about that anymore!

#3 - It’s Conductive

Again, it’s not just conductive, it’s the world’s most conductive material (are you starting to see a pattern here?). One of the initial focuses for the super material is how it could revolutionise electronics, in essence making everything quicker. We’re talking sci-fi type technology here, so it might be a while before the sparkies get their hands on it!

#4 - It’s Impermeable

But wait, there’s more… Graphene can act as a perfect barrier, it’s so impermeable that not even helium can penetrate the material. The potential uses for a truly impermeable material are massive, a Graphene coating could prevent rust on absolutely any surface, imagine a world without rust?

The applications for this amazing material are only just beginning to be realised, so it’s fairly safe to say that it will also one day change the trades industry! At present, it’s attentions are focussed on membranes, composites and coatings, energy, biomedical, sensors and electronics. Sky’s the limit for this futuristic material! Or not, as actually, it also has potential use for space exploration…

If you want to know more about Graphene, its potential applications and what makes it such a special discovery, the University of Manchester has a whole website dedicated to it. You can find it here: http://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/