How Good Is Graphene at Blocking Radiation?
July 23, 2018Graphene, the wondrous material discovered in the last decade, is undoubtedly taking the scientific and industrial world by storm. Ever since its discovery in 2004 by University of Manchester scientists, it has been extensively studied all over the world in renowned material laboratories.
Thanks to the dedicated work of researchers, we are now aware of many of the surprising properties of the material. Graphene is extremely thin and excessively lightweight being only 1 atom-thick. It is malleable and can extend to over 20% of its original length. It is also the most potent known material to man, being harder than diamond.
Apart from these excellent physical properties, the unique hexagonal lattice structure of Graphene also makes it an excellent thermal and electrical conductor, even better than the superconductors that are in conventional use today.
However, the Graphene radiation shielding properties are amongst the more fascinating ones. It is set to change the limits of wireless communications as we know it.
How effective is Graphene shielding against EMI (Electromagnetic Radiation)?
Electromagnetic radiation (EMI) shielding requires protecting the electronics and cables with conductive or magnetic materials to help against unwanted radiation interference. Without an active EMI shield guarding the electronics against radiation emitting from incoming/outgoing electromagnetic radiation, it creates problems to operate the electronic device effectively.
Intense research studies have shown that graphene’s radiation blocking properties increasingly used for this. An article published in the Nature Communication journal shows the development of a graphene’s microchip* which not only efficiently protects the data within from outside radiation interference but also provides record-breaking data transmission powers too.
The scientists at EPFL developed the graphene’s microchip which was successfully tested by the researchers at the University of Geneva. This innovative microchip hailed as the next revolution in wireless communication.
Graphene radiation shielding helps to decrease the interference between electromagnetic radiation, radio waves, and electrostatic fields. Conventional anti-radiation solutions require using heavy and expensive metallic mesh.
With this new solution, our wireless communication technology is set to become over ten times faster than current speeds, thanks to the active its radiation blocking properties. The protection of the data within from outside radiation interference helps to boost the transmission abilities as well inherently.
How does Graphene work to block unwanted radiation?
Graphene radiation blocking properties are due to its unique optical properties. In layman’s terms, the microchip made from graphene works similar to a pair of polarized sunglasses. As in, the chip allows only radiation of a particular frequency to pass through it and effectively blocks all other radiation frequencies. The uniqueness of graphene thus makes it transparent and opaque to radiation simultaneously.
In this simple way, it can store and control transmission of the required frequencies (data) and ensures faster and better quality wireless data transmission. Nano-based materials are considered to be the future of the technological revolution. It makes a highly potential material for not only anti-radiation properties but also for thermal shields in space shuttles too.
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