Graphene airgel - ultra-light material

If you follow the latest developments in the world of modern technology, this material will not be big news for you. However, consider a more detailed easiest material in the world, and yet find some details useful.

Less than a year ago, the title of the lightest material in the world was a material called airbrushing. But this material could not long hold the championship, it was not so long ago caught another carbon material called graphene airgel. Created by a research group of the Department of Science Laboratory of the University of polymers and technology of Zhejiang (Zhejiang University), headed by Professor Gao Chao (Gao Chao), ultra-light graphene airgel has a density slightly lower density helium gas, and slightly above the density of hydrogen gas.

Aerogels as a class of materials have been developed and produced in 1931 as an engineer and chemist Samuel Stephens Kistler (Samuel Stephens Kistler). Since that time, scientists from various organizations carried out research and development of such materials, in spite of their dubious value for practical use. Aerogel is composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, called "frozen smoke" and who had a density of 4 mg / cm 3, lost the title of the lightest material in 2011, which is passed to the material of the metal mikroreshetki having a density of 0.9 mg / cm3. A year later the title of the lightweight material was transferred to the carbon material called airbrushing, the density of which is 0.18 mg / cm3.

The new holder of the title of the lightest material, graphene airgel created by Professor Chao team, has a density of 0.16 mg / cm 3. In order to create such a lightweight material, the researchers used one of the most amazing and thin materials to date - graphene. Using its expertise in the creation of microscopic materials, such as "one-dimensional" graphene fibers and two-dimensional graphene ribbons, the team decided to add to the two dimensions of graphene another dimension and create a volume porous material graphene.

Instead, the method of manufacturing pattern in which the material is used, the solvent and which are usually prepared various aerogels, Chinese scientists have used freeze-drying method. Freeze drying kooloidnogo solution consisting of liquid filler and graphite particles, allowed to create a carbon porous sponge, the shape of which is nearly the same predetermined shape.

"No need to use the dimensions and shape of the templates created by our ultralight carbon material depends only on the shape and size of the container," - says Professor Chao - "Number of airgel manufactured depends on the size of the container, which may have a volume, measured in thousands of cubic centimeters."

The resulting graphene airgel is an extremely durable and resilient material. It can absorb organic materials, including oil, in quantities exceeding 900 times its own weight with a high absorption rate. One gram of the airgel absorbs 68.8 grams of oil for just one second, which makes it an attractive material for use as a scavenger in the ocean spilled oil and petroleum products.

Besides working as an absorber oil airgel graphene has the potential for use in energy storage systems, as catalysts for certain chemical reactions, and as a filler for composite materials difficult.