Graphene and fullerenes

• The structure of graphene consists of a single layer of graphite 
• • Graphene is essentially a 2D molecule since it is only one atom thick
• • graphene has very unusual properties make it useful in fabricating composite materials and in electronics

  
• • Graphene has the following properties:
  • It is extremely strong but also  light
  • It conducts heat and electricity
  • It is transparent
  • It is flexible
• graphene is very strong due to its unbroken pattern and the strong covalent bonds between the carbon atoms. 
• • Graphene Conductivity: It has delocalised electrons which can move along its surface allowing it to conduct electricity
  • It is known to move electrons 200 times faster than silicon
  • It is also an excellent conductor of heat
• • Flexibility: Those strong bonds between graphene’s carbon atoms are also very flexible. They can be twisted, pulled and curved to a certain extent without breaking, which means graphene is bendable and stretchable
• • Transparent: Graphene absorbs sone of the visible light that hits it, which means you can see through it without having to deal with any glare
  • This gives it the potential to be used for making computer screens of the future
• • Fullerenes are a group of carbon allotropes which consist of molecules that form hollow tubes or spheres
• • The molecules in fullerene are made of interlocking hexagonal rings, but they can also be rings of five or seven carbons atoms
• • The first fullerene to be discovered was Buckminsterfullerene (C60)
  • In this fullerene, 60 carbon atoms are joined together forming 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons which produce a hollow sphere
• Fullerene can be used for the following purposes:

  • Drug delivery
  • Lubricants
  • Trapping catalysts molecules
• Buckministerfullerene image

  
• • Graphene can also be rolled into a cylinder to produce an interesting type of fullerene called a nanotube
• • nanotubes have high tensile strength and are resistant to breaking or stretching
• • As in graphene, nanotubes can also conduct electricity which makes them useful in composites and specialised materials, electronics and nanotechnology
• Carbon nanotubes image