Today's KNOWLEDGE Share: Is Graphene Safe?

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Is Graphene Safe?

 

Graphene is a nanomaterial that is made from pure carbon. It is often described as a two-dimensional (2D) material because it is only a few carbon atoms thick and therefore is almost entirely surface area.

Graphene can also be considered a “family” of materials because it comes in many forms and types including graphene oxide, reduced #grapheneoxide, graphene sheets, graphene flakes and other versions of this amazing material.

 

It is precisely because of the 2D characteristics and dimensions that make graphene one of the strongest and most electrically and thermally conductive materials ever measured. These attributes make it an extremely interesting material to use to make other materials better, lighter, stronger, more durable and more recyclable.

 

Because it is based on carbon, graphene can be used in an astonishingly wide scope of applications, from extremely sensitive sensors to high performance textiles, to much more efficient batteries, to advanced high strength composites and even to be used in concrete to reduce the amount of embedded CO2. #Graphenematerials are also being used and tested for use in biological and #medicalapplications from tissue engineering to #drugdeliverysystems. 

 

It is very important to remember that when graphene is used as a nano-additive in other products like #plastics, #textiles, #coatings or even concrete, it is typically used in very small quantities, often much less than just 1% by weight. Despite these small amounts, it contributes significant benefits to the materials it is added to. This also means the graphene is typically fully embedded into the host material it has been added to.

 

It is also important to note that nearly twenty years ago, the Royal Society published a landmark report that made it clear that nanomaterials that were embedded into any material matrix posed no more health and safety threat than any other materials.

 

Since the Royal Society report, #graphene , as a new nanomaterial, has faced inevitable questions that naturally arise over how to safely handle it, and if it poses any risks to #humanhealth. 

 

Any risk assessment for graphene, or any other material, has to be based on the formula: Hazard x Exposure = Risk. In this formula, you can see that a highly #hazardoussubstance like an acid may have restricted access, limiting its exposure and in so doing reducing its risk. When this formula is applied to the difference between engineered nanoparticles, such as graphene, and those found in the air because of air pollution, we can begin to put the risks into perspective.In addition, because graphene is both relatively new and there is confusion or misinformation about the health risks of nanomaterials in general, it is important to refer to scientific tests and studies that have thoroughly evaluated the risk profile of graphene materials for #dermal (skin) contact.

No nanomaterial in its raw form should be handled directly without the necessary precautions to prevent inhalation (safe handling settings and personal protective equipment for trained personnel). However, as the Royal Society report established nearly twenty years ago, once a nanomaterial (including graphene) has been incorporated into a product, it is virtually impossible to liberate the graphene particles from the host material.

 

This has been demonstrated conclusively in research commissioned by The Graphene Council and conducted by researchers at Virginia Tech (soon to be published by Nature/Springer) that showed once graphene had been embedded into protective gloves, it was impossible to separate the graphene from the gloves without completing destroying the gloves.

 

 

Source:Terrance Barkan

Blog : http://polymerguru.blogspot.com