Graphene: Revolutionary material or environmental foe?

Graphene is a revolutionary material that could change the way we live and work because of its amazing versatility, strength, and the amount of possible applications it could have, but critics say there are environmental and health concerns surrounding the material that deserve more research.

In the 1930s, plastic was pitched as a miracle material --- and it did transform the world. It's as hard to imagine life without plastic as it may be someday to imagine life without ... graphene. Graphene is harder than diamonds, stronger than steel, and the thinnest material on earth. It's flexible and offers little resistance to electricity. And that's just what we know about it today. Enthusiasts expect a dramatic influence on everything from electronics, to medicine, to flight.

Each carbon atom is attached to three other carbon atoms and it makes graphene 200 times stronger than steel.Aravind Vijayaraghavan, Lecturer at The University of Manchester

We should say at this point that not everyone has graphene fever. Some researchers worry about its impact on the environment and our health. Aravind Vijayaraghavan is a Lecturer in Nanomaterials in the School of Materials at The University of Manchester. He was in Berlin.

Graphene may be transparent, but some experts warn it has a darker side. New environmental research on Graphene suggests there are reasons to be concerned. Jacob Lanphere is a PhD candidate at the University of California. He was in Riverside, California.

Graphene isn't the only material that was discovered by accident. It's actually pretty striking just how many times discoveries that become crucial to modern life are just stumbled upon. Anna Adamek is a Curator of Natural Resources at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. She joined us from our Ottawa studio.

Aravind Vijayaraghavan is a Lecturer in Nanomaterials in the School of Materials at The University of Manchester. He was in Berlin.

Jacob Lanphere is a PhD candidate at the University of California. He was in Riverside, California.

Anna Adamek is a Curator of Natural Resources at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. She joined us from our Ottawa studio.

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This segment was produced by The Current's Deanne Bender, Sarah Grant and Shannon Higgins.