Graphene industry: Do not repeat the "big steel" movement

China is now in the “graphene gold rush”, and the graphene industry is being used all over the country. The term graphene is almost a household name. As such a hot "net red", how should China's graphene industry develop? How can we go more steadily and longer? These should be issues for the scientific and industrial circles to think about.

Known as the “king of new materials”, graphene is a two-dimensional honeycomb-like pure carbon material that combines many features. It is currently the thinnest and lightest material and the strongest and hardest material. Although graphite is very soft, single-layer graphene materials are even harder than diamond. The well-known diamond has good thermal conductivity, the thermal conductivity is around 2000 W/mK (thermal conductivity), and the thermal conductivity of graphene reaches 5300 W/mK. Graphene also has the characteristics of flexibility, transparency, and only protons can penetrate. These excellent properties give the graphene material a very broad application prospect and are the root cause of attracting the world's attention.

Graphene value is ideally full but realistic

China has the largest graphene research and development team in the world, and the number of academic papers published since 2011 has ranked first in the world. The number of patents applied for graphene in China is also the highest in the world, and it is far ahead.

At present, China is setting off a vigorous industrialization of graphene. There are nearly 20 graphene industrial parks in the country, and this number is still growing. Whether in developed or remote areas, the graphene industrial park is under construction, which is reminiscent of the “big steelmaking” movement during the Great Leap Forward in 1958.

In fact, for graphene materials, the ideal and reality are very different. The ideal graphene has a perfect honeycomb structure, and the actual graphene is like a piece of broken clothes, which is made up of numerous graphene microchips. There are many defects on graphene, and there are a lot of dirty things. Therefore, the performance of graphene materials prepared by reality is not so good and the value is not so high. Applying a network language means "the ideal is full and the reality is very skinny."

Graphene materials need to be continuously put into more patience

We can't understand the future, but we can look back at history and learn new things. The history of carbon fiber research and development that everyone is familiar with is very useful. In 1961, the Industrial Technology Laboratory of Osaka Industrial Science and Technology Laboratory introduced the preparation technology of polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber. Ten years later, in 1971, Toray Corporation of Japan took the lead in industrial mass production, which was 1 ton per month. Toray Corporation continued to improve the quality of carbon fiber along the road markings of T300, T800 and T1000, and invested more than 140 billion yen in research and development funds. It was only after winning the Boeing 787 contract in 2003 that it really turned around. In fact, in the early years, carbon fiber could only be used as a fishing rod, and now carbon fiber has become a supporting material for advanced aircraft. Also called carbon fiber, but things are different, the strength is completely different. It is believed that graphene materials will follow the same path, requiring time to accumulate, requiring continuous investment, and more patience.

Graphene preparation determines its future is not the same

Preparation determines the future. Today's graphene is not equivalent to future graphene.

Graphene can be divided into two major categories, powder graphene and thin film graphene. The preparation method is different and the application is completely different. From the point of view of mass production, powder graphene is usually prepared from graphite, and graphene is peeled off from bulk graphite through a series of physical and chemical processes. Such graphenes are generally of poor quality, but are produced in large quantities and are relatively inexpensive. At present, the domestic production capacity has reached 7,000 tons, and the actual production is also 100 tons.

The chemical vapor deposition method is a general technology for large-scale production of thin film graphene. The obtained graphene has a high quality and is of course expensive. At present, the domestic production capacity has reached an annual output of one million square meters. Peking University has done a lot of research and exploration in the preparation of high quality graphene, and has made a series of important breakthroughs in the research fields of graphene film, three-dimensional powder graphene, super graphene glass and super graphene fiber.

Need to focus on the core technologies that lead the future

The graphene industry of the future will be a big cake. Of course, the amount of cake we can cut is an unknown number. Depending on what we are focusing on now, we need to focus on the core technologies that lead the future, not just today's products. Of course, going from a laboratory material and technology to the industry takes a long way and requires investment, persistence and patience.

China has the largest research team for graphene, but it is very fragmented and basically small workshop-style. Most of the practices of engaging in graphene industrial parks are simple repetitions, lack of technical content, and the phenomenon of quick success is very serious.

Many people mistakenly believe that the graphene industry will soon move toward a large-scale rapid development stage, which is actually not the case. According to Gartner's technology maturity curve, the graphene industry is still in its early stages and will soon enter the Death Valley. What is most needed is persistence, corporate vision and national will. Carbon fiber has been produced in small batches for 45 years, and graphene has only 12 years of history, and it does run a bit faster. After all, the graphene industry is a real industry, and it will never rise like a "fudge" like the Internet.

Of course, we also saw hope. Beijing has just launched a special graphene project with a span of ten years, from the “13th Five-Year Plan” to the “14th Five-Year Plan”. Our layout is more than just today's products, with a focus on future core technology development.

Another important move in Beijing is the establishment of the Beijing Graphene Research Institute, which is expected to lead the future of the graphene industry. The institute produces a technology and technology-derived business group, as well as the ultimate graphene industry, rather than today's products.

Three major possibilities for the future development of graphene industry

Is the future of the graphene industry a promising one? First of all, preparation determines the future, and it is especially important to have a craftsmanship. No matter what new materials, if we can persist in research and development for decades, we will be able to do well with the wisdom of the Chinese. However, the current practice is often not the case, quick success, short-term and quick to make money. In addition, graphene materials need to find a killer grade, rather than a million dollar application. Super graphene glass is expected to be a killer grade application.

Many people ask how far graphene can go. I have given three possible futures:

The first type is similar to carbon fiber. It is believed that as long as the level of manufacture of graphene raw materials continues to increase, it will at least become a killer-grade material for a specific industry like carbon fiber.

The second is similar to plastic. People invented plastic more than a hundred years ago, and now you can't live without it. We can't imagine what life without plastic looks like. Is there such a possibility for graphene? It is indeed possible because it is very versatile.

The third is similar to a silicon chip. It can be said that it is now the silicon age, because silicon has changed the spiritual life of mankind. Graphene may also have this possibility.

Looking back at the history of the development of human civilization, from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, it is now possible to enter the Silicon Age. Not necessarily there will be a "graphene era", let us look forward to and participate in the advancement of this new era.

Tile Trim

The primary advantage of aluminum trim lies in its malleability, allowing it to be easily formed into various shapes and sizes. This makes it an ideal choice for edging, framing, and finishing applications in construction and interior design. Additionally, aluminum trim offers superb weather resistance, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use without fear of deterioration or rust.

Tile Edge Trim,Bullnose Tile,Tile Edging,Tile Corner Trim,Aluminum tile trim,tile trim profiles,tile trim profile

Foshan Knilex Aluminum Co., Ltd. , https://www.aluprofilefactory.com