The ‘wonder material’ graphene can be made using a kitchen blender, a mobile phone and a newspaper

By Conor Boland, Assistant Professor of Materials Science, Deputy Director of Innovation at the RAPID Institute, Dublin City University

There is something slightly ridiculous about using a kitchen blender to make graphene. This is, after all, the “wonder material” associated with futuristic technologies. You might reasonably expect its production to involve equally futuristic equipment. Often, it does.

Producing graphene in liquid form can rely on purified graphite (better known to many as the “lead” in pencils), specialist solvents or additives, ultrapure water and carefully controlled processing. Our…

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