Graphene: A Sustainable Solution

by Abby Southers

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon; an allotrope is defined as two or more different physical forms in which an element can exist. It exists in the form of a single layer of atoms in a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice and graphite is made from many layers of graphene layered on top of each other; held together by van der waal forces. 

Graphene has a particular set of properties which sets it apart by making it far more useful than other carbon allotropes such as diamond. For example,  Graphene at one atom thick is the thinnest compound and lightest material known to man, also it is highly effective at conducting electricity and heat. 


Graphene has been demonstrated to deliver two anticancer drugs to lung tumor cells in a mouse model. The drug Doxorubicin can be embedded into the graphene sheets and the tumor can become linked to the graphene sheet which results in the drug being absorbed into the cell, which helps stop the growth of the cancer cells by blocking an essential enzyme which is necessary for the cell to divide. 

Graphene is also made out of carbon which is the fourth most abundant element in the universe which makes graphene a sustainable solution for a huge amount of other applications.