Why is it in the News?

The Union government recently launched India’s first graphene centre ‘India Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG)’ at Maker Village Kochi.

About India Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG):

• India Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG) is India’s first Graphene Centre.
• It is a joint venture of the Digital University of Kerala, the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) and Tata Steel Limited.
• Key Aspects: IICG is committed to advancing research and development, fostering product innovation, and enhancing capacity building in the field of Graphene and two-dimensional materials (2DM).
• With a vision to bridge the gap between research and commercialization, IICG actively supports the Graphene-Aurora program initiated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• This program aims to provide a comprehensive facility for startups and industries to facilitate seamless progression from research and development to commercialization.

About Graphene:

• Graphene is a one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, serves as the fundamental building block of Graphite, utilized in various applications, including pencil tips.
  • Scientists first isolated Graphene in 2004.

Properties of Graphene:

• Recognized as the world's thinnest material, Graphene boasts a thickness of only one atom, making it one million times thinner than human hair.
• Despite its extreme thinness, Graphene exhibits exceptional strength, surpassing even steel and diamond.
• It functions as an outstanding conductor of both heat and electricity, surpassing copper in electrical conductivity.
• Remarkably transparent, Graphene absorbs only 2% of light.
• Impermeable to gases, including lightweight gases like hydrogen and helium.

Applications:

• Mechanical Strength: Used to enhance the strength of various materials.
• Thermal Applications: Ideal for creating heat-spreading solutions, such as heat sinks or heat dissipation films.
  • This has applications in microelectronics (e.g., improving the efficiency and lifespan of LED lighting) and larger applications like thermal foils for mobile devices.
• Energy Storage: Due to its minimal thickness, Graphene possesses an exceptionally high surface-area-to-volume ratio, making it promising for use in batteries and supercapacitors.
  • It holds the potential to enable energy storage devices, including batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells, with increased energy storage capacity and faster charging capabilities.
• Future Potential: Graphene shows promise in various potential applications, including anti-corrosion coatings and paints, precise sensors, efficient electronics, flexible displays, solar panels, accelerated DNA sequencing, drug delivery systems, and more.