Graphene – Silicon replacement?

I think it is a fair assumption to state that synthetic materials have enhanced human development. From papyrus to paper to silicone used in computer chips, man-made materials have been at the forefront of every major technological advancement.

Graphene - courtesy Google Images

Graphene, a substance made from graphite, may be the next “miracle” material. According to Gigamon.com, graphene is made from a single layer of carbon atoms. A sheet of graphene is a million times thinner than a sheet of paper. It’s so thin it’s considered two dimensional.

Phys.org reports that graphene has a breaking strength 200 times greater than steel, making it the strongest material ever tested. Graphenea.com states it has the potential to conduct electricity better than copper at room temperature and could be used in applications such as biological engineering, optical electronics, composite materials used in aerospace, photovoltaic cells and energy storage.

HEAD racquet - courtesy Google Images

According to graphene-info.com, grapheme is already in use. Siren Technology uses a grapheme based ink in security tags and HEAD uses graphene in their YouTek™ Instinct MP Tennis Racquets.

Graphene is entering the science fiction lexicon. In the December 16, 2013 episode of the Fox show “Almost Human” a reference is made to graphene. A scientist, Rudy Lom , portrayed by Mackenzie Crook, is examining a synthetic life form and notes that there has been, “Some kind of grapheme circuit modification.”

A sheet of graphene is so thin that it’s almost invisible and its conductive properties are such that it might make excellent touch screens.

I wonder … if graphene is as strong and lightweight as it’s purported to be, could it be used to produce ultra-strong cell phones? It’d be nice to know that a drop of the phone won’t result in needing a new one.

Is graphene the next “big” thing? What do you think it should be used for?