M. Garside
Research lead covering energy, chemicals & resources
Graphene industry worldwide - statistics & facts
Graphene is a one-atom-thick allotrope of carbon that is incredibly flexible, strong, and lightweight. It is a two-dimensional material due to its single-atom thickness. These properties make the material ideal for a wide variety of applications that could potentially revolutionize several industries. First produced in 2004, the potential uses for graphene appear almost limitless, but all new technologies face challenges in the marketplace. It may be many years before the material is developed practically, and it still needs to be determined how graphene-based products could be manufactured on a commercial scale. Nevertheless, there are already some interesting graphene-based products on the market, such as power banks, light bulbs, and bicycles with graphene-enhanced carbon fiber.
There are several ways to produce graphene; some are more technical than others. One method involves heating copper at a very high temperature and introducing methane, which causes graphene to grow on both sides of the copper. A much simpler method was used at The University of Manchester in 2004 by two researchers — Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov — when they originally isolated the first-ever two-dimensional material. Thin flakes of carbon were extracted from graphite using sticky tape. The researchers repeatedly peeled the flakes until they became so thin that specialist equipment had to be used to determine the number of individual graphene layers within the flakes. Fast forward to June 2023, and there were over 80 carbon fiber and graphene manufacturing businesses in the United States alone.
The Canadian corporation NanoXplore had the leading market capitalization of any graphene producer in the world as of September 2024, at nearly 281 million U.S. dollars. The company specializes in the development of graphene-based formulations that can be used to improve the performance of materials such as thermoplastic and thermoset polymers, and produces a graphene powder consisting of six to 10 atomic layers.
Graphite and methods of graphene production
The potential of graphene might not have been recognized had it not been for groundbreaking research with one of the best-known forms of carbon: graphite. Graphite is essentially made up layers of graphene stacked on top of each other to form a three-dimensional structure. Graphene is fundamentally graphite in a single layer. The total global production volume of graphite amounted to an estimated 1.6 million metric tons in 2023, while graphite global reserves amounted to 280 million metric tons.There are several ways to produce graphene; some are more technical than others. One method involves heating copper at a very high temperature and introducing methane, which causes graphene to grow on both sides of the copper. A much simpler method was used at The University of Manchester in 2004 by two researchers — Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov — when they originally isolated the first-ever two-dimensional material. Thin flakes of carbon were extracted from graphite using sticky tape. The researchers repeatedly peeled the flakes until they became so thin that specialist equipment had to be used to determine the number of individual graphene layers within the flakes. Fast forward to June 2023, and there were over 80 carbon fiber and graphene manufacturing businesses in the United States alone.
The Canadian corporation NanoXplore had the leading market capitalization of any graphene producer in the world as of September 2024, at nearly 281 million U.S. dollars. The company specializes in the development of graphene-based formulations that can be used to improve the performance of materials such as thermoplastic and thermoset polymers, and produces a graphene powder consisting of six to 10 atomic layers.
What is graphene’s potential?
Graphene’s unique set of properties — exceptionally thin, light, strong, and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity — means that the material could have a significant impact on many industries. Some of the main applications in which graphene is already in use are within plastics, composite materials, and electronics, including energy storage. The main commercial forms of graphene include functionalized graphene and graphene oxide, among others. Looking ahead, with improved affordability and availability, it is anticipated that graphene’s impact will develop in exciting ways. For example, graphene could unlock a new wave of super-fast, ultra-light smartphones or wearable devices.
