The honeycomb structure of graphene can soak up laser light, release it on command (via wiki)
Lately it seems that there is no applications in which graphene cannot be used to make a better product. It has already proved to be a superior material for conductors, solar cells, transistors, ultra-capacitors, and a variety of other applications. Now it appears scientists have just used graphene to produce ultra short laser pulses. In addition, scientists suggest that their experiments show that any color of light can be produced from these laser pulses.
In 2004, scientists discovered graphene. Five years later, physicist Andrea Ferrari from Cambridge showed that graphene can act as a source to absorb infrared light. Building on this finding, Ferrari along with other colleagues were able to produce experiments in which the graphene would release this light in ultra short pulses. These pulses, at the time limited to infrared light, were able to last up to a couple tens of femtoseconds.
Just recently, this work has been taken a step further. Their device has been improved to include a wide range of wavelengths it could produce. In addition, the scientists commented that due to the properties of graphene, it is theoretically possible to produce ultra short pulses over the whole range of the visible light spectrum. The applications of a laser that can produce different wavelengths of light can have the potential to create better products ranging from medical applications to micro-machinery.
Byung Hee Hong, a physcists at Seoul National University, commented, “In graphene, there is no band gap, and the electrons' energy can vary along a continuum. That gives the materials an advantage in fiber optics, enabling it to absorb a wide range of wavelengths of light. Usually, different materials are needed for different wavelengths, and there are not many materials that can be used for the near-infrared region.” Graphene's ability to absorb and produce light adds another feature to graphene's impressive resume. Band-gap was achieved with graphene. From that point alone, there are so many applications in which graphene holds an advantage. It’s only a matter of time before the tech hit the market and takes over.
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