Scientists Produce Graphene 100 Times Cheaper Than Ever Before (gizmag.com) 77
Zothecula writes that researchers at the University of Glasgow have found a way to produce large sheets of graphene 100 times more cheaply than previous methods. Gizmag reports: "Since first being synthesized by Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov at the University of Manchester in 2004, there has been an extensive effort to exploit the extraordinary properties of graphene. However the cost of graphene in comparison to more traditional electronic materials has meant that its uptake in electronic manufacturing has been slow. Now researchers at the University of Glasgow have discovered a way to create large sheets of graphene using the same type of cheap copper used to manufacture lithium-ion batteries."
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now it's only $1,000,000,000,000/gram. practically free.
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You're a one-trick pony, haven't you got anything else?
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you write a lot of words but the only meaning I'm gleaning is "I am a unhappy cow. Moooo! Mooooo! I'm jealous of happy cows. MOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
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In the last year, all metals prices have plummeted. Around here, the incidence of illegal aliens lighting themselves up trying to pull live wires out of the ground has dropped off drastically.
Re:"cheap copper" (Score:5, Interesting)
I know this is off topic, but the reason metal prices plunged is because regulators finally told the investment banks/hedge funds to stop creating bubbles in the commodity markets. Read up about the Goldman Sachs aluminium racket. Basically they just bought up all the market makers in the aluminium industry so that they could artificially control the marginal price of aluminium. It is really quite sickening. Another hedge fund manager did the same with the global coffee market, buying up a huge portion of a year's crop and then holding it back from the market to artificially raise prices.
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Did you RTFA?
It's cheap because it's a thin foil. There's simply not much copper per unit area.
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Horrible English Makes for Bad Math (Score:2, Insightful)
I hate it when people misuse language to describe math.
What does "100 times more cheaply" mean?
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So it's free?
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I wish I had mod points...
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not quite but it's 100 times as free, that is to say a hundred times freer. are we clear?
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And twice as slow is stupid also, call it 1/2 the speed.
What, there's just one correct way of saying things now? I can't say "twice the frequency", because you insist on "half the period"? I can't say "twice the conductance", because you insist on "half the resistance"?
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I'm inclined to agree with you in part: Both period and frequency are absolute measures and can be used reciprocally. However, "short" and "slow" are comparative, not absolute ("slow" does not mean "time over distance"). "Short" by itself is meaningless. If Bob is "half as short" as Ann, is Bob taller or shorter than Ann? Is Bob half Ann's height? Twice Ann's height? 150% of Ann's height? Without any additional information, it's up to the hearer's interpretation of what "half" of a comparative measure
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Logical and well stated. Wish I had mod points.
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What does "100 times more cheaply" mean?
Everyone fluent in English knows exactly what it means. English is a natural language, not an expression of formal logic. Stop being a pedantic Aspie.
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Stop being a pedantic Aspie.
"Aspie" is not even a word. There is no such word. Seriously, what does that even mean?
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"Aspie" is an abbreviation that originated as an internally friendly way of people with Asperger's Syndrome of self identifying as part of a group. It was supposed to be a way of these people to feel a sense of belonging in what can seem like a foreign world to them.
Although in this case it is being hijacked to be used as a pejorative because this group happens to be more detail focused (the same way people hijacked the words queer and gay from the LGBT community to use as insults).
New words are invented al
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in this case it is being hijacked to be used as a pejorative
It is NOT being hijacked. I am at least as much of an Aspie as the GPP. Therefore, as a member of the group, I have the right to use the word.
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> English is a natural language,
From Wikipedia:
In 1990, in the Usenet group rec.arts.sf-lovers, Nicoll wrote the following epigram on the English language:
The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and riffle their pockets for new vocabulary
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What does "100 times more cheaply" mean?
Everyone fluent in English knows exactly what it means. English is a natural language, not an expression of formal logic. Stop being a pedantic Aspie.
What does "100 times more cheaply" mean? (Score:2)
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You know what it means. I know what it means. Everyone knows what it means.
If you insist on a rigorous mathematical definition, it's very simple. "Cheapness" is simply the inverse of "costliness." So if something is 100 times cheaper, it's 100 times less costly. If something originally cost $100, it now costs $1. Capiche?
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I don't see why not. The conclusion is no less ridiculous than the premise.
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It's OK. You're 100 times more stupid than a toaster oven.
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"divided by half" - a bastard of "divided by two" and "multiplied by half", which actually means the exact opposite: multiplied by two.
"a half less" - a chimera of "half as much" and "half of", which again means the opposite.
"0.01 cents" - a mongrel of "one cent" or "$0.01", instead giving a price 100 times cheaper.
So let's save our outrage for the next time som
100x cheaper? (Score:1)
"The commercially-available copper we used in our process retails for around one dollar per square meter, compared to around $115 for a similar amount of the copper currently used in graphene production," said Dr Dahiya, of the University of Glasgow's School of Engineering."
How much was the price of copper, the total price of the production?
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~$1 per square meter for "normal" copper.
+$125 per square meter for "high grade" copper. Which also needs to be processed in order to use it.
If I interpret the article correctly, they are using the shaped high grade copper to create something like a cast. Casting graphene apparently eliminates the cost of some chemicals, and increases yield(not sure if in failure rate or in speed). Chemical vapour deposition(CDV) is stilled used, but its less messy than the traditional method.
That said, I still want a fucki
More Accurate Summary (Score:1)
Researchers at the University of Glasgow claim that they can create graphene using cheaper copper. They claim that the copper they use costs $1 per square meter, whereas previous production methods require a copper that retails for $115 per square meter.
Note: I have no idea why researchers at the University of Glasgow price their materials in dollars.
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Researchers at the University of Glasgow claim that they can create graphene using cheaper copper. They claim that the copper they use costs $1 per square meter, whereas previous production methods require a copper that retails for $115 per square meter.
Note: I have no idea why researchers at the University of Glasgow price their materials in dollars.
Well, coppers in Glasgow don't wear the traditional police helmets, so I suppose you could flatten them out more and get more square meters per copper.
What do you mean wrong type of copper?....
Re:More Accurate Summary (Score:5, Informative)
Note: I have no idea why researchers at the University of Glasgow price their materials in dollars.
Because copper, like any other internationally traded commodity, is priced in dollars. Also, people almost anywhere in the world know what their local currency is worth in dollars, so they can do the conversion in their head. Far fewer are familiar with pounds. So if you are writing an article for an international audience, you use dollars.
Wait a minute... (Score:2, Informative)
Re: Wait a minute... (Score:1)
And time. You ever make graphene that way? Takes hours.
Re: Wait a minute... (Score:1)
So I guess they switched to generic tape. (Score:2)
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650mm wide is definitely possible : http://www.shcopper.com/en/pro... [shcopper.com]
One dimensional tube? (Score:2)
From the article : "As a two-dimensional crystal of carbon atoms, graphene is a basic building block of many carbon derivatives such as zero dimensional fullerene, one dimensional carbon nanotubes, and three dimensional graphite. "
How can a tube be one dimensional?
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It is more of an analogy. All of these are built up in 3D but fullerene is called 0D as it is confined in all 3 dimensions; nanotubes are confined in 2D leading to a "1D material" and graphene is confined in a single dimension leading to a "2D material".