Related topics: graphene · carbon · diamonds · carbon atoms

Researchers put a new twist on graphite

For decades, scientists have been probing the potential of two-dimensional materials to transform our world. 2D materials are only a single layer of atoms thick. Within them, subatomic particles like electrons can only move ...

Producing large, clean 2D materials made easy: Just 'KISS'

Ever since the discovery of the two-dimensional form of graphite (called graphene) almost twenty years ago, interest in 2D materials and their special physical properties has skyrocketed. Famously, graphene was produced by ...

Creating high-quality, thick graphite films

High-quality graphite has excellent mechanical strength, thermal stability, high flexibility and very high in-plane thermal and electric conductivities, and therefore it is one of most important advanced materials used in ...

Improving battery safety and efficiency for electric vehicles

As electric vehicles and personal portable electronics become more ubiquitous, researchers are trying to solve some of the major limitations of current lithium-ion battery technology, which uses a graphite anode and a lithium-based ...

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Graphite

The mineral graphite /ˈɡræfaɪt/ is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω (graphō), "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead (not to be confused with the metallic element lead). Unlike diamond (another carbon allotrope), graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal. It is, consequently, useful in such applications as arc lamp electrodes. Graphite is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Therefore, it is used in thermochemistry as the standard state for defining the heat of formation of carbon compounds. Graphite may be considered the highest grade of coal, just above anthracite and alternatively called meta-anthracite, although it is not normally used as fuel because it is difficult to ignite.

There are three principal types of natural graphite, each occurring in different types of ore deposit:

Highly ordered pyrolytic graphite or highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) refers to graphite with an angular spread between the graphite sheets of less than 1°. This highest-quality synthetic form is used in scientific research. The name "graphite fiber" is also sometimes used to refer to carbon fiber or carbon fiber-reinforced polymer.

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