A. Tomou
Goodfellow Cambridge Ltd.,
United Kingdom
Keywords: 2D materials
Summary:
As researchers and industry sectors explore the fascinating world of nanomaterials, they often discover that such materials and technologies encounter a gap between anticipated applications and real life. Beginning with current applications of nanomaterials and especially 2D materials in different industry sectors and even in everyday life, this presentation looks into the future to explore the rapidly expanding potential of 2D materials and associated technologies in a wide variety of industrial sectors. Multi-wall carbon nanotubes, boron nitride nanotubes and graphene are among the most used of the wonder materials of the 21st century. Multi-wall carbon nanotubes prepared by chemical vapour deposition can be produced in the form of “carpets’, giving them practically the theoretical electrical and thermal conductivity required without embedding them into polymer matrices. On the other hand, boron nitride nanotubes – structurally like carbon nanotubes – produced by thermal treatment of nano-Boron precursor can be purified up to 90%. The end product is characterised by better thermal and chemical stability compared to carbon nanotubes, and boron nitride nanotubes can be used as an electrical insulator and neutron absorber. Recently, graphene, due to the combination of its unique properties, has been designated as one of the most popular nanomaterials related to the 4th industrial revolution. Lately, a “green” graphene produced in a plasma reactor, leveraged the material’s prospects for implementation and sustainability. Organisations which implement green strategies with hybrid composites of such 2D materials using recyclable or biodegradable matrices are leading to a fundamental long-term impact on society, as environmental awareness will be enhanced and brought to the forefront. Mass production and recent utilisation of graphene in commercial applications such as automotive and sporting goods is demonstrating undisputedly that applications of 2D materials are rapidly reaching the marketplace and being absorbed into the mainstream.