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graphene promises
Graphene

By the AVICENN team – Last updated July 2022

Many promises…

Synthesized from graphite and revealed to the public in 2004 by André Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester (England) for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010, graphene is a nanomaterial often presented as “revolutionary”.

Graphene is made of flat sheet(s) formed by a single thickness of carbon atoms.
It is said to be very light, waterproof, considered chemically inert, transparent, flexible but extremely strong (100 to 300 times stronger than steel) and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity (it is more conductive than copper); these flexible properties are therefore touted as offering multiple possibilities in almost all industrial sectors

… but what are the realities?

Nevertheless, as with other nanomaterials, there may exist a gap between the “promises” of graphene and its actual use1See for example: In French:
Graphene, the miracle material that could change the face of the world, Les éclaireurs, Canal plus, 25 January 2021
Will graphene and 2D materials disprove Moore’s Law? Guillaume Fourcadier, Clubic, June 7, 2020
Le graphène, à un cheveu du miracle?“, L’Express, 5 November 2018

In English:
Graphene and 2D materials could move electronics beyond ‘Moore’s Law’, University of Manchester, June 3, 2020
especially since the manufacturing cost of this material remains extremely high2The cost is all the higher as the number of carbon atom layers is reduced; single- or double-layer graphenes are very difficult to synthesize, manipulate and deposit on substrates – and this remains true for “Few Layer Graphene” (FLG) which have less than a dozen layers..

Some “graphene” players

At the international level, the Graphene Council brings together important graphene manufacturers and the Graphene-info.com portal publishes information on the latest research and applications in this field.
French players include:

  • the Isère-based company Graphène Production, created in 2015, which says it produces 90 tons per year of graphene, for all sectors of industry.
  • the start-up “Carbon Waters“, created in December 2017 and originating from a CNRS laboratory, which has developed and patented a process for the production of single layer of graphene in water. It is supported by the New Aquitaine Region, the BPI, the TechnoWest incubator and a regional investment fund3Cf. Interview with Alban Chesneau, President of Carbon Waters, Techniques de l’ingénieur, April 25, 2018.

In 2020, a European ISO-G-Scope project was launched to develop harmonized methods for measuring and characterizing graphene.

What about the risks associated with graphene?

Elsewhere on the web (or in bookshops)

In French :

In English:

Any questions or comments? This information sheet compiled by AVICENN is intended to be completed and updated. Please feel free to contribute.

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  • Awareness-raising aimed at personnel in contact with nanomaterials during research, formulation, production, maintenance, cleaning, upkeep, etc., as well as safety coordinators or engineers, facility managers, heads of laboratories where nanoparticles are handled.
  • Organizers: INSTN Grenoble (CEA)
  • On the agenda: potential impact on health; metrology and protection; control of potential risks associated with nanomaterials; consideration of societal aspects.
  • Website: https://instn.cea.fr/formation/maitrise-des-risques-lies-aux-nanomateriaux-sensibilisation
6
Juin
2024
Managing the risks associated with nanomaterials (CEA, Grenoble)
Grenoble
Training
  • Awareness-raising aimed at personnel in contact with nanomaterials during research, formulation, production, maintenance, cleaning, upkeep, etc., as well as safety coordinators or engineers, facility managers, heads of laboratories where nanoparticles are handled.
  • Organizers: INSTN Grenoble (CEA)
  • On the agenda: potential impact on health; metrology and protection; control of potential risks associated with nanomaterials; consideration of societal aspects.
  • Website: https://instn.cea.fr/formation/maitrise-des-risques-lies-aux-nanomateriaux-sensibilisation

File initially put on line in June 2016


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