Exploring the potential of graphene fibers

Diamonds are perhaps the best-known allotrope of carbon, but graphene is rapidly rising in popularity given its remarkable electrical, thermal, and physical properties. The recent development of graphene fibers has supersized graphene’s nanoscale properties to create a material with a unique structure, excellent electrical conductivity, high strength, and lightweight properties. This has catapulted the material into widespread usage in a variety of sectors, from medicine to optoelectronics to aerospace.

Zhang et al. present a comprehensive review of graphene fibers, discussing the latest synthesis processes, potential improvement strategies, and recent applications. Graphene fiber limitations and future potentials are also examined. The authors primarily focus on developments in graphene fibers that have occurred in the past four years.

“In such a dynamic field, we hope this focus might help the readers to familiarize themselves with this versatile material platform,” said author Zhipan Zhang. “We really hope this review overall can provide a more detailed picture of graphene fibers to general readers and draw more attention to this emerging field.”

In the coming decade, the authors expect graphene fibers will be used in flexible fabrics and wearable electronics. Graphene fiber development is still in the early stages, and graphene oxide building blocks are expected to play an important role in future technologies. However, there are still some hurdles to overcome, such as finding ways to reduce structural defects.

“Additionally, finding ways to solve the poor continuity and limited uniformity of mass-produced graphene fibers is of equal importance for further applications of graphene fibers,” Zhang said.

With improvements, future applications in addition to wearable energy storage devices include diagnostic probes for neurological diseases and heat management systems.

Source: “Synthesis and novel applications of graphene fibers,” by Qian Zhang, Zhipan Zhang, Huhu Cheng, and Liangti Qu, Applied Physics Reviews (2024). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0194282 .

This paper is part of the New Carbon Materia Collection, learn more here .