
Graphene as an Open-Source Material - sahin-boydas
https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/13/graphene-as-an-open-source-material/
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gene-h
I don't exactly understand what the author means by open sourcing graphene. If
they mean putting the methods used to produce and do things with graphene out
there in the open, scientific journals are for the most part already doing
this(although not all journals are open access). One can also copy whatever is
in a patent as long as one doesn't attempt to sell it.

If the author is suggesting that amateurs do interesting work with graphene we
run into a couple problems. It's difficult for amateurs to obtain even basic
chemical reagents and labware. Most chemical suppliers won't even sell to
amateurs. Not to mention that some of these chemicals involved can be pretty
nasty. There's also the issue of all the equipment needed to evaluate stuff
made with graphene. Microscopes and mechanical testers can be pretty
expensive.

That being said graphene suffers from similar problems to other nanomaterials.
While we can obtain high strength, we can only do so with close to atomically
perfect sheets. We still don't have a good way to make large atomically
perfect materials, so we can only achieve these high strengths with
microscopic flakes of graphene. In addition, the roll to roll process they
mentioned is still going to be pretty expensive. It's slow and energy
intensive making it difficult to produce by the kilogram, much less the ton.
It's also been noted that graphene really doesn't have much of a killer
app[0], with most graphene applications being only marginally better than
alternatives.

Now much of the hype around graphene came from it's electronic properties. The
big attraction was that one could do many of the things we wanted to do with
carbon nanotubes, that is making smaller faster transistors, using standard
CMOS processing equipment[1]. The problem is that its still difficult to make
graphene exhibit a band gap, which is important for making computer chips so
that we can make transistors which actually turn off.

[0] [https://www.nature.com/news/graphene-booms-in-factories-
but-...](https://www.nature.com/news/graphene-booms-in-factories-but-lacks-a-
killer-app-1.17771) [1]
[https://arxiv.org/pdf/0911.4685.pdf](https://arxiv.org/pdf/0911.4685.pdf)

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bigger_cheese
I experimented with Graphene as part of my engineering thesis at uni back in
2010. I was trying to synthesize anode materials for Li-Ion battery
applications. The idea being graphene would better accommodate volume
expansion during intercalation leading to better cycling performance of the
battery.

I don't think there is any particular "secret sauce" in the technique I was
using to make the graphene - I was using Modified Hummer's method (MH method)
to make graphene-oxide and then reductive precipitation (RP) - it's well
covered by the literature. There is even a wikipedia article on
it.([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummers%27_method](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummers%27_method)).
I don't think anything would really stop a dedicated amateur.

I agree with you a lot of the difficulty is sourcing the chemicals and
especially the equipment (sonicator, centrifuge etc) which makes it much more
suited for a laboratory than amateur experimentation. Also agree it's slow and
time consuming to produce at least using method I was.

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macawfish
I remember long ago hearing about a cool graphene application getting patented
by some public university out east. It made me really upset. There's so many
awesome ideas coming out of public universities that never go anywhere due to
IP hoarding.

It takes a lot of different people and perspectives to make something happen
at scale. Keep these important ideas flowing and open!

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moneytide1
The youtube channel of Robert-Murray Smith is a great resource for graphene
experimentation, I recommend some of the older videos. He speaks in terms that
a beginner chemist can understand.

Prompted me to buy some graphoil, sodium sulfate, and ultrasound sonication
bath and follow along:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFUOsZ0LSkQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFUOsZ0LSkQ)

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mxcrossb
> Natural reserves of graphene are few and far between

This seems to imply that graphene does occasionally occur in nature? Does
anyone know under what situations this happens?

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ajmarcic
Graphite is stacked and fragmented layers of graphene (search "graphene scotch
tape"). It occurs naturally when carbon deposits are subjected to the right
temperature and pressure. Meteorites, igneous, and metamorphic rock.

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AChamarthy
I'm trying to connect with Don (author) - appreciate an intro if anyone has a
good link.

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mikeyouse
I don't know him but his contact page lists a number of ways to get in touch:
[https://donbasile.com/contact/](https://donbasile.com/contact/)

