What does graphene mean?
Graphene is the first two-dimensional material that consists of a single atomic layer of carbon. It is therefore a flat layer of material with a thickness of one atom; thinner is simply not possible. The carbon atoms of the material are divided in a hexagonal structure (also called honeycomb or chicken wire). Graphene is the strongest material currently available on the market. It is even stronger than steel or stainless steel. It is such an extraordinary piece of material that its creators were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. It is sometimes regarded as the favourite material of physicists.
Difference from graphite?
I hear you thinking; but isn't it the same as graphite? No, it is not. Graphene is not the same as graphite, but it is a part of it. It also consists entirely of carbon. Graphite consists of several layers of carbon atoms. You can find graphite in the tip of your pencil, for example. When you write with the pencil, you scrape off layers of graphite, as it were. This makes the tip smaller and creates a line on the paper. The line on the paper is therefore a scraped-off layer of graphite. Such a single layer is therefore graphene.
Benefits
Because it is currently the only two-dimensional material, it has many advantages over other materials. As already mentioned, graphene is one of the strongest materials in the world. The material is flexible but also very strong at the same time. It is a very versatile material. It also has several advantages when it comes to electricity. The material is a very good conductor.
Graphene at TRALERT®
Some of the products in the range LED lights makes use of graphene. This is the case with several LED work lights. Several worklights have a graphene housing. In some cases, the base of the lamp is also made of this strong material. To show how special the material is, we ourselves named a line of work lamps after it. That is the TRALERT® Graphene Series.