The magazine MAQ September 2018 MAQ Magazine November 2018 | Page 309

MAQ/November 2018 / 07

Graphene is a form of carbon that can be used to make armor and space elevators, improve medicine, and make the internet run faster - some day. For the past 15 years, consumers have been hearing about this wonder material and all the ways it could change everything. Is it really almost here, or is it another promise that is perpetually just one more breakthrough away?

In the images on the side, we can see how the atomic structure of graphene is flat, unlike the other molecular structures of other nanotechnology materials, such as carbon nanotubes and fullerene.

This characteristic of graphene is very important because it makes it non-inhalable by the respiratory systems of living beings, including humans.

The other atomic structures of carbon nanotubes and fullerene are round and easily inhaled and penetrating into the lungs, causing enormous damage to health.

For this reason scientists have placed much hope on this material since the discovery of 2004.