Inventory of the Top 10 Most Potential New Materials-Graphene

The "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" for the New Materials Industry points the way for the future development of many materials in China. This issue of the Financial Affairs Weekly will precipitate the essence of the investigation and research of materials science for a period of time. List the final list of new materials research across three stages.

The 10 most promising materials for the future that have been combed out in this period include: graphene, carbon fiber, lightweight alloys, carbon nanotubes, superconducting materials, semiconductor materials, functional films, smart materials, biological materials, and special glass.

【Graphene】

Graphene is one of the thinnest, hardest and most conductive nanomaterials found so far. Graphene is called "black gold" and is "the king of new materials." Scientists even predicted that graphene will "completely change the 21st century." "

Interestingly, graphene was not born using "tall" technology, but was "glued" from graphite crystals by two scientists at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

Graphene has the most potential to become a substitute for Silicon, making Ultra-Miniature transistors for future supercomputers. Using graphene instead of Silicon, computer processors will run hundreds of times faster, according to experts. Recently, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that graphene can be converted into a topological insulator with unique functions under certain conditions. The research is expected to lead to a new way of making quantum computers.

Second, graphene can help the development of Super capacitors and lithium ion batteries. According to relevant data, adding graphene material, the same volume of capacitance can expand more than 5 times the capacity, while adding graphene to the lithium battery electrode can greatly improve its conductivity. In addition, graphene can also be used in circuits, touch screens, gene sequencing, and the production of feathery ultra-light aircraft, ultra-tough body armor and other fields.

[Carbon fiber]

With the development of low-carbon economy, the demand for carbon fiber products will continue to rise. The characteristics such as high strength, low density and low linear expansion coefficient of carbon fiber make it popular in military fields such as aircraft manufacturing, industrial fields such as automobiles and medical equipment, and sports leisure fields such as golf clubs and bicycles.

The decision of the 18th plenary session to reform the armed forces and the national security agencies has strengthened the expectation of purchasingspecial equipment and security equipment, which has brought benefits to the development of the carbon fiber industry. The demand for carbon fiber in the Chinese military field has always been very large. As one of the essential new materials for modern strategic weapons, carbon fiber and its composite materials are used in a large number of strategicspecials, stealth fighter planes, modern ships, and non-lethal weapons.

[Light alloy]

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, China will focus on the development of high-strength light alloy materials. The project aims to achieve a major breakthrough in the development of key new alloy varieties by 2015, forming a production capacity of 300,000 tons of high-end aluminum alloy, 20,000 tons of high-end titanium alloy, high-strength magnesium alloy die-casting, and 150,000 tons of profiles and plates. In 2014, it is a Sprint year for high-strength light alloys to reach the project's goal. Its Sprint results are worth looking forward to.

Titanium alloy is a light alloy that occupies an important position in modern high-end weapons.

According to the data, in recent years, the mass ratio of titanium used in mass production of military aircraft body and engine in China has reached 25 %, while the ratio of F-22 titanium alloy has reached 41 %. Titanium metal is widely used inspecial, chemical, petroleum, electric power and other fields because of its superior properties such as high strength, good ductility, corrosion resistance, and non-magnetism.

In addition to titanium alloys, light alloys mainly include aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys. Aluminum alloys were used earlier and now have a high degree of popularity. They often appear in automobiles, ships, and other fields.

Magnesium alloy is the lightest of the practical metals, and it is one of the most important new materials for automobiles to achieve lightweight.

[Carbon nanotubes]

Carbon nanotubes, as one-dimensional nanomaterials, are light in weight and have perfect hexagonal structural connections. They have many abnormal mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties.

In addition to being used as molds, carbon nanotubes can be used as internal fillings of metals, oxides, and other substances. They can also be used in nanostructured electronic devices, thermoelectric materials, battery electrode materials, low-temperature and high-sensitivity sensors, biomolecular carriers, and catalyst carriers.

[Superconducting material]

Superconducting materials are materials whose resistance disappears at a specific temperature. Superconducting materials are not uncommon. Many materials in our lives, such as aluminum, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, etc., have superconducting properties. However, in order to achieve the superconductivity of these materials, extreme conditions such as critical temperature and ultra-high pressure must be reached.

In recent years, superconducting materials have three characteristics: zero resistance, complete diamagnetic and tunneling effects, which make them widely concerned in the world. Its most widely known use is for power networks. Since there is no resistance, the loss in the power grid is zero, which will save 10 % to 20 % of the power loss caused by transmission.

[Semiconductor material]

Recently, the rise of digital home and the Internet of Things has benefited from the booming development of the semiconductor industry. According to research firm IHSiSuppli, the home electronics market grew by 12 % in 2013 to $2.6 billion, compared with $2.3 billion last year. In addition, the industries involved in semiconductor materials mainly include integrated circuits, LEDs, and solar photovoltaics.

[functional film]

Functional thin films are one of the advanced polymer materials. They have many types and different application fields, and they play an important role in strategic emerging industries. At present, the promising functional films mainly include optical films, photovoltaic films, lithium cell membranes, water treatment permeation membranes, and high-barrier packaging membranes.

[Smart material]

Did you ever imagine that one day your phone could be recharged with it in your pocket? British scientists have used smart materials to satisfy this desire.

In the first half of this year, Vodafone and Southampton University teamed up to develop a convenient charger that can be charged by connecting the phone to the connector in the pocket. The shorts are made from smart fabrics that aggregate foam material. Its role is to convert the energy generated by the human body into electrical energy.

It is generally believed that smart materials have seven functions, including sensing function, feedback function, information recognition and accumulation function, response function, self-diagnosis ability, self-repair ability and adaptive ability. These seven functions are just in line with the current hot wearable equipment and 4D technology. In addition, the material also has great potential in medical, military, construction and other fields.

[Biological materials]

Biological materials are mainly used in medicine. Currently, biological materials have been used to produce all organs of the human body except the brain. Products already available on the market include artificial cornea, cardiac stent, pacemaker, artificial dura and so on.

【 Special glass】

Special glass contains photovoltaic glass and ultra-thin glass two sub-industries also ushered in the development of the first opportunity. With the development of the mobile equipment industry, the demand for high-performance glass has also grown, including flat glass for various flat display devices and light transmission glass for light refraction and transmission. In addition, microcrystalline glass is also used in solar panels, integrated circuits, and artificial bone teeth.

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