Graphene- A New Wonder Material

            As long as I can remember, my mother always talked about the energy crisis. She would blather on and on about us losing all of our fossil fuel. When I was young, I couldn’t imagine why we didn’t use lightning. Well, in the next two decades or so, I may have finally figured out a way that we can, thanks to the wonder material, graphene.

Graphene is an single-layer-atom-thick sheet of carbon. Two Russian-born scientists at the University of Manchester developed it, by putting Scotch tape on pieces of graphite and repeatedly peeling it back until they had the tiniest layer possible, winning the two a Nobel Prize. Now that you know most of the history, why don’t we talk about its uses?

            Graphene has been discovered to be able to conduct and store massive bursts of electrical energy for long periods of time, giving it a spot in the computer industry, automotive industry, and perhaps even the weapons industry. My main concern is energy. Being such a thin material, graphene can conduct and store more energy due to its wide surface area, giving it the possibility of one day being used in ultra-capacitors.

Ultra-capacitors have lots of uses. Their quick energy surge helps cranes hoist loads, for example. The problem is that existing models just can’t store that much energy. Graphene, which could be stacked up to create vast expanses of surface area for electrochemical reactions, might change that. I have developed a theory that you could somehow capture and store lightning, or even energy produced by nuclear reactors, and then save it until you need it. We would literally have a near-unlimited supply of renewable energy!

I don’t believe I have to explain why this would be beneficial, but I shall. Imagine, a world where there is no pollution, there is no energy crisis, and there is an ozone layer. We could actually reverse Global Warming over time! I don’t know about you, but this seems like it’s pretty worth looking into.

The best part about graphene is that its strong; strong enough that piece as thick as paper could support the weight of a large SUV! For its strength, it could be used to reinforce bomb bunkers, buildings, and even bulletproof vests. If my calculations are correct, a person wearing a vest a centimeter thick made of graphene could stop a .50 caliber sniper rifle round point blank… unharmed. It could be used to strengthen the hulls of ships, and the frames and windows of cars. It could prevent oil spills!

All in all, any fairly wealthy person with resources, look into this. You may dawn a new era of technology, and save millions of lives. Perhaps even billions.

The Magic Hobo.