### Did you already think graphene was awesome? Well 2016 goes out with another bang for graphene, as it looks to become the perfect building block for *next-generation ultra-fast electronics*.

<center><img src="http://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/12/24/graphene-electric3c0b9.jpg" alt="graphene-electric3c0b9.jpg" border="0"><br/><em><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13948">source</a></em></center>

[A new study](http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13948) published Dec. 21st in *Nature Communications* shows that the **electrical current density of graphene is about 1000 times higher than what normal material is able to withstand before destruction** of that material from too much electrical current.

### "Graphene can withstand such extreme currents without suffering any damage." 

This isn't about being an efficient conductor. Earlier this year scientists turned [graphene into a superconductor](http://www.sciencealert.com/wonder-material-graphene-has-been-turned-into-a-superconductor) moving electrons with zero resistance. This discovery already ranked graphene at the top of the list for the **"Wonder Material of the Year"**. This new study shows, not the efficiency of the electron flow, but *how many electrons can graphene handle charging through it within a short period of time*.

<center><img src="http://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/12/24/grapheneae340.jpg" alt="grapheneae340.jpg" border="0"><br/><em><a href="http://grolltex.co/graphene/">source</a></em></center>

Graphene is a one-atom thick honeycomb-structured sheet of carbon. It's stronger than steel, harder than diamond, incredibly flexible, and can now withstand the high charge density of electricity.

#### The experiment to uncover these secrets of high charge density required the researchers to blast positively-charged xenon ions at a sheet of graphene. 

<center><img src="http://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/12/24/xenon-ions66b6d.jpg" alt="xenon-ions66b6d.jpg" border="0"><br/><em><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13948">Sketch of the experimental set-up with the target holder and electrostatic analyser</a></em></center>

#### This causes large numbers of electrons from the graphene atoms to be ripped away as the xenon passes through the graphene sheet. 

<center><img src="http://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/12/24/ion-punching90a73.jpg" alt="ion-punching90a73.jpg" border="0"><br/><em><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13948">Ion energy loss results and a detailed view of the neutralization dynamics</a></em></center>

#### When a single xenon ion hits and passes through the graphene sheet, it can steal more than 20 electrons from the surrounding atoms of graphene. Each carbon atom only has six electrons. Losing 20 electrons is a big deal in terms of stability of the atomic structure.

#### Having this many negatively charged electrons removed from the atom, left an overall positive charge in the surrounding carbon atoms. A xenon ion can also punch out a carbon atom, but this has a smaller effect than the loss of electrons from many surrounding atoms.

<center><img src="http://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/12/24/ion-passed36e.jpg" alt="ion-passed36e.jpg" border="0"><br/><em><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13948">Transmission electron microscopy results</a></em></center>

Since magnetic poles of the same charge repel each other, we would expect the same to happen here:

### "*What you would expect to happen now is for these positively charged carbon ions to repel one another, flying off in what is called a Coulomb explosion and leaving a large gap in the material, but astoundingly, that is not the case. The positive charge in the graphene is neutralised almost instantaneously."*

said team member Richard Wilhelm from the Helmholtz-Centre Dresden-Rossendorf in Germany.

#### What does this mean?

Apart from graphene kicking ass, this means graphene is somehow capable of filling in the electron gap with brand-new electrons instantaneously. This means it's able to transport high density current in a short period of time. 

As the electron current moves electrons to transmit electricity from one location to another, the speed to move new electrons into the place where old ones were enables the structure of the atom to stay in place. The new electrons rushed to save the day in mere quadrillionths of a second.

<center><img src="http://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/12/24/graphene-after27368.jpg" alt="graphene-after27368.jpg" border="0"><br/><em><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13948">TEM image of a freestanding monolayer of graphene after irradiation</a></em></center>

*Graphene is extremely rapid at responding to electrical disruption.* The electrical current density required to make this happen, means that graphene has 1000 times higher electrical current density than any normal material can handle before it is atomically destroyed from structural disintegrity.

Scientists still need to do further research to determine exactly how this is able to happen. But for engineers, this is great news for the future of building ultrafast electronics. Graphene appears to be a material that can handle intense electron flows for advanced technology like [(opto)electronics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optoelectronics), photodetection and [spintronics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spintronics).

<center><img src="http://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/12/24/Optoelectronics9d6cc.jpg" alt="Optoelectronics9d6cc.jpg" border="0"><br/><br/><em><a href="http://www.cwitechsales.com/Optoelectronics.html">source</a></em></center>

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#### Thank you for your time and attention! I appreciate the knowledge reaching more people. Take care. Peace.

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References:
- [Graphene's crazier than we thought, can handle 1,000 times more current than regular material](http://www.sciencealert.com/graphene-s-more-incredible-than-we-thought-can-handle-1-000-times-more-current-than-regular-material)
- [Ultrafast electronic response of graphene to a strong and localized electric field](http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13948)

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@krnel
2016-12-24, 11:33am