Scientists at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) developed a composite material based on graphite that is as thin as paper and 10 times stronger than steel. This material has the potential to revolutionize the automotive, aviation, electrical, and optical industries.
Graphite paper is a material that can be processed, reshaped, and reformed from its original raw material state - graphite. Researchers at UTS have successfully milled the raw graphite by purifying and filtering it with chemicals to reshape and reform it into nano-structured configurations which can be processed into sheets as thin as paper. These graphene nanosheet stacks consist of monolayer hexagonal carbon lattices and are placed in perfectly arranged laminar structures, which give them exceptional thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties.
Using a synthesized method and heat treatment, UTS researchers produced material with extraordinary bending, rigidity, and hardness mechanical properties. Compared to steel, the prepared graphite paper is six times lighter, five to six times lower in density, and two times harder, with 10 times higher tensile strength and 13 times higher bending rigidity.
