Graphene: : The good and the great

• Autores: Laura Syrett, Kasia Patel
• Localización: Industrial Minerals, ISSN 0019-8544, Nº. 582, 2016 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Abril)
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Austrian sports equipment maker, Head, has successfully enlisted tennis stars like Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova to promote is range of graphene-enhanced tennis rackets and, in 2013, the Parisian beauty house, Yves Saint Laurent, launched a "graphene inspired" mascara, which was modelled by Cara Delevingne. The cosmetic's formula, which consists of three polymers, soft waxes and a pigment distribution agent, doesn't actually contain graphene but "mimics its structure and properties".

    Established in 2005, Directa Plus makes graphene from natural graphite using a patented process, which begins with plasma super expansion, heating the raw material to "the temperature of the surface of the sun" (5,505 degreesC) to produce carbon flakes, in what is known as a "top-down" approach to producing graphene. This is the opposite of "bottom-up" methods, which make small precursor particles grow in size, as in the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique - the way most graphene is made. According to [Giulio Cesareo], the Directa Plus method is low-cost but retains a high quality graphene.