You may have caught the earlier article on how graphene and platinum is on the cusp of revolutionizing fuel cell technology—well, I’ve been doing a little digging and it’s looking like graphene may be about to change everything. It’s flexible, stronger than steel, an excellent conductor of electricity, incredibly thin, light weight… the list goes on. What this could mean for the real-world creation of sci-fi type technology and devices is even longer. Off the top of my head, how about: television wallpaper or jackets?—tough tablet computers that look like sheets of clear plastic wrap?—a whole computer in a contact lens?—a transparent electric airplane that never has to land to refuel?—bullet proof glass that charges the car or building while it’s protecting you, meanwhile, the car itself is changing color to match the situation, your mood or the background, even changing to polka-dots or van Gogh’s Starry Night?! Other technologies will have to be incorporated in these flights of fancy but it’s graphene that can now make this possible.
It’s all still years away because tests being conducted are ongoing but the implications are incredible. Even more exciting is that it isn’t some hopeful fantasy decades away, that we’ll start seeing the first uses available to the public within the next few years. I’m sure that we’ll be seeing advances in batteries and personal electronic first and then… sky’s the limit. Check out this little video from Cambridge University I found to give you an introduction to graphene:
A little more from the New York Times: http://nyti.ms/1qt4lYK