[TABLE="class: MsoNormalTable"] [TR] [TD="width: 786, bgcolor: transparent, colspan: 2"]Reading the paper this morning about this Graphene material. Wonder if YY have sat up and taken notice, this could mean big changes to equipment Is graphene a miracle material? [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 567, bgcolor: transparent"][TABLE="class: MsoNormalTable"] [TR] [TD="width: 466, bgcolor: transparent"]By Alex Hudson BBC News [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Click's Dan Simmons looks at graphene's chances for 1bn euros of funding The material graphene was touted as "the next big thing" even before its pioneers were handed the Nobel Prize last year. Many believe it could spell the end for silicon and change the future of computers and other devices forever. Graphene has been touted as the "miracle material" of the 21st Century. Said to be the strongest material ever measured, an improvement upon and a replacement for silicon and the most conductive material known to man, its properties have sent the science world - and subsequently the media - into a spin. [TABLE="class: MsoNormalTable, align: right"] [TR] [TD="width: 10, bgcolor: transparent"] [/TD] [TD="width: 227"]WHAT IS GRAPHENE? Graphene is taken from graphite, which is made up of weakly bonded layers of carbon Graphene is composed of carbon atoms arranged in tightly bound hexagons just one atom thick Three million sheets of graphene on top of each other would be 1mm thick The band structure of graphite was first theorised and calculated by PR Wallace in 1947, though for it to exist in the real world was thought impossible Due to the timing of this discovery, some conspiracy theorists have linked it to materials at the Roswell "crash site" In 2004, teams including Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov demonstrated that single layers could be isolated, resulting in the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 It is a good thermal and electric conductor and can be used to develop semiconductor circuits and computer parts. Experiments have shown it to be incredibly strong [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] "Our research establishes graphene as the strongest material ever measured, some 200 times stronger than structural steel," mechanical engineering professor James Hone, of Columbia University, said in a statement. "It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of Saran Wrap [cling film]." And the way this material can be utilised is as surprising as its properties. "Graphene does not just have one application," says Professor Andre Geim, the current co-holder of the Nobel Prize in physics for his work with the material at Manchester University. "It is not even one material. It is a huge range of materials. A good comparison would be to how plastics are used." Much has been made of graphene's potential. It can be used for anything from composite materials - like how carbon-fibre is used currently - to electronics. Since its properties were uncovered, more and more scientists have been keen to work on projects. About 200 companies and start-ups are now involved in research around graphene. In 2010, it was the subject of about 3,000 research papers. And the benefits to both businesses and to the consumer are obvious - faster and cheaper devices which are thinner and flexible. "You could theoretically roll up your iPhone and stick it behind your ear like a pencil," Professor James Tour, of Rice University, told the Technology Review. [TABLE="class: MsoNormalTable, align: right"] [TR] [TD="width: 11, bgcolor: transparent"] [/TD] [TD="width: 1"] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] If graphene can be compared to the way plastic is used today, everything from crisp packets to clothing could be digitised once the technology is established. The future could see credit cards contain as much processing power as your current smartphone. "It can open completely new applications in transparent electronics, in flexible electronics and electronics that are much faster than today," says Jari Kinaret, professor of technology at Chalmers University in Sweden. And beyond its digital applications, just one example of its use would be graphene powder added to tyres to make them stronger. Unlimited speed Samsung has been one of the biggest investors in research, in collaboration with South Korean Sungkyunkwan University. It has already demonstrated a 25-inch flexible touchscreen using graphene. "[Samsung has its] own roadmap where they believe there will be a dozen products [on the commercial market] using graphene in the next five years," says Prof Geim. But companies like IBM and Nokia have also been involved in research. IBM has created a 150 gigahertz (GHz) transistor - the quickest comparable silicon device runs at about 40 GHz. "In terms of the speed of the transistor, we currently see no intrinsic limits into how fast it can go," says Dr Yu-ming Lin, of IBM. "We've already found a number of [problems] that have to be resolved but I don't think it's limited by the intrinsic properties of graphene." In Europe, research about the material is a frontrunner to receive a 1bn euro investment from the European Commission over the next 10 years. 'Switching off' Despite this frenzy of progress, investment and press attention, many researchers are cautious. Some are certain that graphene will not do everything that has been thought up for the material. What has been reported as "potential" seems to be - at the moment - just that, with few real-world examples of it working to replace other materials. "We feel that it's rather difficult to imagine graphene as a replacement to silicon," says Dr Phaedon Avouris, of IBM. "The material itself does not have a band gap, an essential property [meaning that graphene cannot stop conducting and be 'switched off', making it unusable in this way]. The applications of graphene and the application of silicon are in different domains." And even the most revered academics think that a replacement to silicon is a long way off. "It is a dream," says Prof Geim. "The prospect is so far beyond the horizon that we cannot even assess it properly." The problem that scientists face is that these "miracle" properties have only ever been demonstrated on a tiny scale. "The kind of strengths that people quote may not even apply to microscopic samples," says Dr Lin. "So, while it may be true that on a local level it has this strength much stronger than steel, we have to be careful about these claims. "We recognise the limitations of graphene and are trying to do things that do not bend the rules of physics. "We are not setting out to replace silicon as the goal but we are trying to find unique applications that can take advantage of its properties." With the seemingly unstoppable march of progress in this field, especially as it is less than 10 years old, swift advances could be just around the corner. Yet with all this money and market demand, scientists are cautious about how quickly all this potential can be turned into reality. "We would be the happiest people in the world if we could replace silicon," says Dr Avouris. "But the main thing is to be truthful and not exaggerate because we actually have to deliver." [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
it depends. we don't need any lighter badminton rackets. most ppl cannot even generate useful power with 5U/6U rackets. there simply isn't enough momentum to hit the shuttle with. despite what marketing tells you, lighter is not always better. maybe stiffness can higher, but do we need any stiffer rackets? surely the racket can be stronger. but i don't see a drastic improvement in strength is going to make the game any different than today. afterall, we are not doing fencing with the rackets. Pete might get a stiffness thinking that he now can string his racket with 80lbs tension. having said that, i think soon you will find some rackets with graphene mixed into it at small quantities and at strategic locations in the racket, not any different than people adding Ti-Mesh when Ti was the hot buzz word.
^This. Shafts are pretty much sorted out for the time being, but thinner and stronger frames mean better aerodynamics and fewer breakages (and that's always welcome).
YY's NANOPREME looks like a carbon nanotube which basically is graphene as a tube. So I guess they already picked it up
Pffft, I still like the feel of old school graphite more like in the AT700 or the Li Nings. Nanopreme is alright, but that fullerene crap was horrible!
I'm confused, graphene is basically just one atom thick graphite. So if you got lots of it to make a racquet surely you've just made normal graphite. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
That depends how you utilise the sheets. You can roll it up to form the nanotubes as one alternative. And you can't necessarily assume that real-world graphite is pure graphene sheets. Impurities etc. can have a huge effect (look at the theoretical strength of a metal compared to its actual strength; it's the same kind of concept).
I think racket development will go towards thinner rackets as mark mentioned. Stronger rackets give less feel. Anyone who has tried TC700 will know it is much more solid feel, but too solid. I will prefer a racket with the same strength, but thinner. Since slim10 there hasnt been a thinner racket. Surely materials have developed in 10 years to make a more durable racket the same thick ess?
Well, shafts are always on the safe side. If it breaks, there's still a string to stop the head flying off somewhere, but it could still whip round to hit the player, so having a racket where the shaft can break is a nono If the head breaks, it can be expensive, but you're not going to hurt people. Perhaps that has a role to play. Perhaps it's just that materials development hasn't included graphite?
Quantity???? I think the amont of new materials in the racquet makes all the diference. If 98% of the racquet is «normal» graphite, the 2% of new materials really maters????
Of course they make a difference But perhaps not in strength. Or the trade-off for strength impacts playability. I was only speaking in terms of the thickness and durability, so wasn't really considering feedback or repulsion or any other factors.
Whilst i wouldn't doubt YY using graphene in a racket in the future for mostly marketing purposes i would question its current potential for sporting based applications. Graphenes main exciting properties exist in the microelectronics area due to its electron mobility at room temperature. In 10+ years perhaps the manufacturing will have caught up to produce mass amounts of graphene but i doubt a true actual 50+% graphene racket will be made for long time. I must agree however its mechanical behavior is very impressive if scaled up results can be trusted very lightweight, strong and more elastic than steel (and current carbon based structures) however as mentioned i don't think weight is a particular issue in badminton rackets, repulsion due to elasticity however is probably a more useful asset that companies would look at in sport. I reckon though the first uses of graphene in a racket or similar would be nothing more than a marketing gimmick for the foreseeable future. Besides the current 'nanoscience' used by YY and others is semi amusing in the materials science world since it is hardly cutting edge research, most of this stuff was researched in the 90s and so a decade later is now in various products. Racket companies simply purchase high quality carbon-fibre for main stream manufacturers. An example would be scientific images YY and others currently use in their sales material, they look impressive but are 99% the same as any high quality carbon fibre put in the electron microscope. Hence why most decent quality rackets perform similarly eg (YY, Li Ning, Victor etc) as the materials inside the rackets are all very similar. This could be the case with graphene in 20 years will be interesting to find out.
The racket manufacturers call it "nano science" and they're actually being completely truthful for once... because the amounts of nanopreme tube material they put into each racket probably amounts to a nano gram, if even.
True its nanoscience .. but at a very basic level which adds a small effect to the materials property in the case of the carbon used by YY. You buy it in sheets for various applications and as i said earlier materials wise its 99% the same as most high quality carbon materials that have been around awhile. Its one material i work with in materials characterization a fair bit and i can confirm most of nano/micro images look the same for me when compared to YY stuff.
