Scientists Say Chemistry

Scientists Say: Graphene

This ultra-thin carbon layer is super strong and conducts electricity

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In a sheet of graphene, each carbon atom (gray balls) links to three others to create a flat lattice.

AlexanderAlUS/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Bethany Brookshire

Graphene (noun, “GRA-feen”)

This is a sheet of carbon atoms that is only one atom thick. Graphene is so thin that 25,000 sheets of it stacked on each other are only as thick as a piece of paper. But graphene is incredibly strong — 200 times stronger than steel. It can also conduct electricity. Graphene can be used to make ultra-thin parts for computers, cell phones and more. 

In a sentence

Graphene is an important part of a type of artificial skin that can “feel” heat and texture.

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Power Words

More About Power Words

atom     The basic unit of a chemical element. Atoms are made up of a dense nucleus that contains positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons. The nucleus is orbited by a cloud of negatively charged electrons.

carbon     The chemical element having the atomic number 6. It is the physical basis of all life on Earth. Carbon exists freely as graphite and diamond. It is an important part of coal, limestone and petroleum, and is capable of self-bonding, chemically, to form an enormous number of chemically, biologically and commercially important molecules.

electricity     A flow of charge, usually from the movement of negatively charged particles, called electrons.

graphene     A superthin, superstrong material made from a single layer of carbon atoms connected together.

About Bethany Brookshire

Bethany Brookshire was a longtime staff writer at Science News Explores and is the author of the book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. She has a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology and likes to write about neuroscience, biology, climate and more. She thinks Porgs are an invasive species.

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