Graphene

Apart from the optimum physical properties, the other features of graphene are also impressive. It is a single-atom-thick sheet made from combined carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together to share electron in a hexagonal, honeycomb-like structure. It is a single atom thick layered 2D material ever discovered in the world. It is made up of a hexagonal lattice pattern of carbon atoms in a monolithic honeycomb-like structure. It is a layer of SP2 single bonded carbon atoms arranged like a chicken wire mesh. It is 200 times stronger than stainless steel (SS) and 100 thousand times thinner than the human hair. It is the slimmest and strongest compound available on the earth. Anybody would be amazed when they know that we have found a material which is harder than diamond, yet lightweight, stronger than steel, but also highly flexible, and this material can be mined from the earth as it occurs naturally. Aforementioned is graphene. It is yet thin enough to be mistaken for a saran wrap.

Properties of Graphene

These are some prominent features which make it a hi-tech material:
Excellent Electronic Conductor
The chief electronic property makes it an efficient Zero-Overlap Semimetal and gives it sufficient electrical conductivity. Carbon atoms possess typically 2 electrons in the inner shell, and 4 electrons in the outer orbit, total 6 electrons.
Although conventionally, the outer 4 electrons in carbon can connect with another atom, each, the atoms can form a 2-dimensional bond with three atoms per single atom. This leaves an electron available for electronic conduction. Such electrons are known as ‘Pi’ electrons and found above and below in sheet.

Ultimate Tensile Strength

The mechanical strength is another prominent property of the material. It considered as being the foremost most robust material ever discovered, owing to the 0.142 Nm-long carbon bonds.
It also possesses ultimate tensile strength, measuring 130 Gigapascals (or 130,000,000,000 Pascals). Compared to the tensile strength of industrial grade (A36) steel, which is around 400,000,000 Pascals or so, it has awe-inspiring strength. Even Kevlar (Aramid), which has a tensile strength measuring around 375,700,000 Pascals, falls short in matching up to concerning tensile strength.

Extremely Lightweight

As compared to any other modern material, its exceptionally lightweight. A square-meter of sheet weighs around 0.77 mg, which is about 1,000 times lighter than a sheet of paper of the same size. To give a more precise perspective, a single-atom-thick sheet broad enough to cover a football field would still weigh less than 1 gram.

Optimum Optical Properties

It has the unique ability to absorb around 2.3% of white light. What makes this optical property so impressive is that it is able to do so despite being only an atom-thick. Its excellent electronic properties make it an efficient optical material too. This sheet has dual electrons that act as highly mobile, mass-less carriers of electric charge and enables increased absorption of white light.