Since its discovery and especially since the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, graphene has been considered a new wonder material for electronic applications. This is because it is light, strong, almost transparent, flexible and is therefore regarded as an equivalent substitute for indium tin oxide (ITO). For which a replacement candidate has been sought for a long time.

This is because natural indium deposits are severely limited and production is also relatively expensive. In addition, ITO is a relatively rigid material. With this, new electronic, flexible applications are no longer feasible.

Graphene would meet and even exceed all expectations. However, the cost-effective production of graphene still poses a major challenge to the economy. Because graphene does not grow on trees, nor can it be dug up somewhere. There are numerous research projects around the world and the EU supports some of them with financial resources. But there is still no industrial manufacturing process that enables cost-effective, large-scale graphene production.

The previous processes for graphene production differ greatly in quality or price. Of course, depending on the desired application, you don't always need good quality and can therefore compromise on price. Nevertheless, in the long term, it is important for the economy to develop a uniform procedure that guarantees a low production price.

For example, graphene oxide (GO) is relatively cheap as a powder and can be used for applications in biotechnology (e.g. for DNA analysis). However, since the electronic properties are currently not good enough for batteries, flexible touchscreens, solar cells or LEDs, it would not be in such good hands in such areas of application.

Then there is mechanically ablated graphene. Which comes in high-quality, small flakes and has the best physical properties. However, it is not possible to produce large areas for suitable applications at low cost.

Another possibility is the production by means of a CVD process, which provides a sufficiently good quality for almost every graphene application. But here, too, the price depends on the production volume used and the substrate used (e.g. copper substrate or silver, etc.). However, there are already various methods for the large-scale synthesis of graphene. Chemical vapour deposition, which we have already reported on in an older article, has proven to be promising for the future.

We are curious to see which country will ultimately be the first to make the breakthrough for a passable manufacturing process. After all, graphene prices are still nowhere near as high as one would expect from such a young technology. And there is a lot of financial support from the EU to ensure that progress is being made quickly in this area.