As research continues, commercial applications expand and manufacturing scales up, graphene is not only set to invigorate existing industries, but also to lay the groundwork for entirely new ones
Graphene, a two-dimensional material derived solely from carbon, is one of the most abundant and versatile elements on Earth. The development of carbon as coal, petroleum and natural gas as energy sources marks the beginning of modern industrial chemistry. Due to its naturally occurring abundance, carbon exists in many forms, such as diamond, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, charcoal and of course, graphite and graphene.
Graphite is a carbon-based material composed of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice structure stacked on top of each other. As a result of its unique properties, such as electrical and thermal conductivity, thermal stability and lubricating characteristics, it has significantly impacted many industries, such as electronics, batteries, composites and refractories.
In 2004, at the University of Manchester, after years of research, difficulty and failed attempts, two academics, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, carved at graphite until they pulled away a single layer of carbon atoms — what we now know as graphene [1]. Since then, more than two decades of research and development have positioned graphene to make the leap into the commercial sphere, with many promising applications across numerous industries, as described further in this article. Geim and Novoselov’s groundbreaking discovery led to extensive research and innovation into graphene’s unique structure and properties, revealing its potential as a revolutionary “miracle” material across a multitude of industries. Imagine graphite as a thick book made up of many pages stacked together, each page representing a layer of carbon atoms, and graphene is just one single page from that book.
Graphene’s chemistry contributes to industrial applications
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice (Figure 1). It stands out as a groundbreaking material due to its versatile combination of properties. Graphene’s strength is nearly 200 times that of steel, due to the strong bonds between the carbon atoms. Graphene is lighter than cotton, yet it also exhibits exceptional barrier properties against various gas molecules and superior electrical conductivity compared to copper. Moreover, graphene can be sustainably produced from abundant resources like CO2, graphite, wood, methane and recycled waste [2, 3].
FIGURE 1. Graphene’s signature honeycomb-lattice layout of carbon atoms gives it a number of unique physical and chemical properties
Previously, conventional materials could only combine a maximum of two of these properties (strength, lightness, conductivity and sustainability in production). Graphene breaks this limitation and offers a unique combination of all these properties, presenting a versatile solution to various applications and enabling engineers to further push boundaries of what materials can do.
It is worth noting that graphene is not a single material, but rather a family of different grades, each with distinct manufacturing processes and characteristics. Among these are pristine graphene, graphene-polymer composites, graphene oxide, graphene nanotubes, reduced graphene oxide, graphene nanoplatelets, graphene metal powders (Figure 2), graphene metal composites, and task-specific functionalized graphene. Each grade’s unique properties are suitable for specialized applications and directly impact performance expectations and the material’s effectiveness in a given use case.
FIGURE 2. Graphene can be combined with polymer materials, metals and many other media to create solutions for a number of diverse end uses
Despite broad possible applications for graphene, from shoe soles and sports equipment to satellite probes and batteries, the materials industry has been faced with technical and commercial challenges related to its adoption. At the macro level, graphene’s properties proved significantly less promising than initially assumed due to the graphene clumping together when upscaling, known as agglomeration. This reduced the strength of graphene’s characteristics and therefore its commercial viability. So the question is: how can engineers and scientists apply graphene at the industrial scale most cost-effectively? The following sections offer some of the most promising applications for graphene in industry.
Packaging production
Graphene’s unique blend of strength, conductivity, barrier and flexibility presents an opportunity to create smarter, sustainable and more efficient packaging materials. The flexible and highly conductive material could be used in “smart” chips placed inside of packing, allowing the transmission of data detailing where product is, and tracking the product until it is recycled.
For example, the addition of graphene within specialized chips in food packaging not only helps protect the food, but also aids in the chip’s ability to actively monitor food freshness for potential spoilage. The addition of graphene within the sensors allows it to detect changes in temperature, humidity and even the presence of harmful gases, ensuring the safety and quality of products. Graphene can thus transform packaging into a conduit for information, including tracking and tracing a product’s full supply-chain journey. This level of transparency, enabled by graphene’s conductive properties, allows consumers to make informed choices and enables greater trust in the food supply chain.
The same goes for other packaging sectors. In the pharmaceutical industry, for example, graphene-based packaging can enhance drug safety by preventing counterfeiting and ensuring the integrity of medications throughout the supply chain. While in the electronics sector, graphene can create robust electrostatic dissipating (ESD) and heat-dissipating packaging for delicate devices, improving their safety, performance and longevity.
Graphene-enhanced packaging is not just about faster data transfer, it is also about using less plastic. The strength of graphene means fewer layers of plastic and thinner plastic layers are needed, boosting the sustainability of the product.
Hydrogen storage
Graphene’s properties make it a highly promising material to use as an additive to form composites or as a coating in plastics and metals. This is particularly relevant for hydrogen storage and transportation systems, such as composite Type IV pressure vessels and pipes designed to carry hydrogen gas.
Hydrogen is transported and stored in huge pipes that vary in length, from just a few up to hundreds of miles. With the transportation process lasting months, or even years, current storage and pipe solutions are not adequate; they are made from low-carbon steels, stainless steels and fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP), often resulting in hydrogen embrittlement and leakage into the atmosphere.
A research study conducted by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) [ 4] highlights the significant impact of hydrogen leakage on global warming, negatively influencing climate due to its potency as a greenhouse gas, despite hydrogen’s clean-burning properties. When released, hydrogen can contribute to the formation of other greenhouse gases, such as methane and ozone; even small leaks could have significant warming effects. Managing and minimizing hydrogen leakage is therefore crucial for mitigating its climate impacts.
Polymer-graphene composites have been developed and tested to offer a sustainable alternative and a safety-enhancing addition to hydrogen infrastructure. Graphene, when incorporated in liners of Type IV hydrogen pressure vessels (Figure 3) and as components in both new and retrofitted hydrogen and natural gas pipelines, have demonstrated the capacity to reduce hydrogen permeation by up to 83% compared to conventional materials [5].
FIGURE 3. A graphene-enhanced tank liner can help overcome many of the traditional challenges associated with hydrogen storage and transport
By significantly reducing hydrogen leakage, polymer-graphene composites have economic benefits, while also mitigating environmental risks, representing a rapid advancement in safe and reliable hydrogen deployment.
Batteries
Due to the broad surface area and high electrical and thermal conductivity, graphene is an interesting additive in batteries. Graphene can be used for the cathode, anode, membranes or any combination of those components within a battery, because it is capable of increasing energy transfer and enabling faster charging and discharging rates. Graphene enhances the structural integrity of the battery electrodes and allows better connectivity and more active material inside the battery, subsequently increasing battery density. As a result, batteries last longer and, by reducing degradation over time, are more sustainable.
Additionally, graphene’s high thermal conductivity can mitigate thermal runaway in batteries by improving thermal conductivity, allowing for better heat dissipation, reducing the risk of overheating and enhancing performance and safety. Its lightweight nature can also help reduce the overall weight of the battery, making it ideal for applications where weight is critical, such as drones.
Graphene is primarily used as a boosting and enabling additive or coating in batteries [6, 7, 8]. This effectively means that although graphene is not the main component, it acts as a supplement that improves performance, without replacing the essential elements of the battery.
Construction
Due to graphene’s outstanding mechanical properties — most notably its strength, flexibility and lightness — it is considered an emerging transformative material in the construction industry, particularly in its application as an additive to concrete. By incorporating graphene into concrete mixtures in very low amounts (less than 1%), researchers and engineers have discovered significant enhancements in mechanical strength and resistance to cracking [9]. This allows structures to be built with lighter materials while maintaining durability. The improved strength can lead to a reduction in the amount of needed cement, which helps to reduce cement’s substantial carbon footprint.
When graphene is added, it ensures strong structural integrity by reducing the curing time of concrete. A quicker curing time speeds up the construction process and minimizes the period in which a structure is vulnerable to environmental factors, thus enhancing concrete durability.
Graphene can further enhance concrete by turning it into “smart concrete” that can technologically sense strain and damage, allowing for maintenance and structural health monitoring. By integrating graphene, the material can enable a small, lightweight, thermally conductive chip to be installed within the concrete to communicate real-time data about its structural condition, allowing for timely interventions and improving the safety and longevity of infrastructure. A 2024 study shows that incorporating few-layer graphene results in a 94% reduction in electrical resistance and a 55% increase in thermal conductivity, a quality essential for sensing applications [10].
In additive manufacturing applications, graphene is already seeing use in some powders and filament materials (Figure 4), with some notable applications in energy-related end uses [11].
FIGURE 4. Graphene can be used in filament materials for 3D-printed parts
Laboratory to market
Year-on-year, the graphene market has grown between 20 and 30%, as reported in a 2023 market report, reaching an average estimated global annual revenue of $380 million in 2022. With 20 new graphene product applications discovered in 2024 alone, the market is set to continue at a rate of 35% annually [12].
Although there have been numerous applications developed that leverage the extraordinary characteristics of graphene, this is just the beginning. Just as silicon revolutionized sectors such as electronics, telecommunications and renewable energy, graphene and its associated technologies are poised to ignite a new era of materials science. Graphene has the potential to transform industries ranging from energy storage to biomedical devices, paving the way for innovations that could redefine technological landscapes. ■
Edited by Mary Page Bailey
Acknowledgement
Figures provided by author unless otherwise noted
References
1. The University of Manchester, Discovery of Graphene, https://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/learn/discovery-of-graphene.
2. Jenkins, S., Pilot plant for graphene production uses flash Joule heating, Chem. Eng., April 2022, p. 9.
3. Bailey, M., Using waste plastic to simultaneously make graphene and hydrogen, Chem. Eng., November 2023, p. 5.
4. Stauffer, N., New climate chemistry model finds “non-negligible” impacts of potential hydrogen fuel leakage, MIT News, December 2024.
5. Peebles Media Group Ltd., Collaboration aims to advance graphene use in hydrogen storage and transport, Envirotec, March 2025.
6. Ondrey, G., Improving sodium-ion batteries with nanocellular graphene, Chem. Eng., May 2024, p. 8.
7. Bailey, M., Taking graphene into the next dimension, Chem. Eng., October 2023, p. 6.
8. Bailey, M., A step closer to graphene-coated anodes, Chem. Eng., January 2018, pp. 6.
9. Alateah, A., Graphene concrete: Recent advances in production methods, performance properties, environmental impact and economic viability, Case Studies in Construction Materials, Vol. 19, December 2023.
10. Polverino, S. and others, Few-Layer-Graphene Based Smart Concrete: A New Paradigm in Construction Materials, Proceedings of the 7 th International Conference on Geotechnics, Civil Engineering and Structures, CIGOS 2024, April 2024.
11. Wu, X., Three-dimensional printing of graphene-based materials and the application in energy storage, Materials Today Advances, Vol. 11, September 2021.
12. Graphene Flagship, Global graphene market will continue to grow, researchers find, January 2024.
Author
Mamoun Taher (Email: [email protected]) is a deep-tech entrepreneur and the founder of Graphmatech. With over 22 years of experience in nanotechnology and innovation management, he transforms ideas into impactful products that challenge the status quo. After receiving the Erasmus Mundus scholarship in 2009 in Germany and Sweden in the field of advanced materials science engineering, he earned his Ph.D. in Sweden and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Uppsala University and the ABB Corporate Research Center.