June 2023. For the past decade, the value of graphene for its application in different industries has been demonstrated worldwide, being considered the material of the Fourth Industrial Revolution due to its energetic, mechanical, and optical properties. The importance of studies on graphene was highlighted in 2010 when the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics to Russian researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for "showing that carbon in such a flat form has exceptional properties that occur in the fascinating world of quantum physics."
In Colombia, one of the sectors with the greatest potential for graphene is the textile industry, says Juan Manuel Goenaga, CEO of Go To Gym Service, a consultancy specializing in emerging technologies: "Materials like graphene, at the nanoscale, make a textile fiber degrade faster, while also being semiconductors, transparent, and super strong."
As he asserts, graphene allows for 16% more heat dispersion and 23% more air permeability in textiles, because the electrons in graphene allow energy to pass through faster than silicon, improving thermal conductivity, providing the wearer with less heat, which is why it is ideally used in the making of sportswear, for example.
"Graphene makes textile fibers last longer, dry faster, and help in the biodegradation of the textile. The best part is that the development of Advanced Materials is subject to computation, which is constantly being updated," adds the consultant specializing in advanced materials. Some of the advantages of graphene include its properties:
- Electrical: It is a transparent semiconductor that allows applications in energy and biological applications like DNA sequencing, competing in all technology uses. It is 35% more conductive than copper and allows electrons to accelerate at high speeds.
- Optical: It allows for the creation of sensors and integrated circuits, touch screens, high-frequency transistors, and OLED capabilities. Its use is excellent in optoelectronics because graphene electrons move faster than silicon electrons.
- Mechanical: The breaking strength is 100 times greater than iron, making it the strongest material on Earth; it is flexible and chemically stable. Its size is 0.34 nanometers, and it is five times lighter than aluminum.
Regarding the digitization of textiles, Goenaga notes that "a dreamed world awaits us," as the proposal is to achieve the making of garments that allow people to obtain real-time health data from their bodies to help them make decisions regarding health monitoring and disease prevention.
"In Colombia, we are telling all textile companies, clothing brands, retail stores, compensation funds, and large corporations that this is the right path we must take. We want to raise awareness and promote technologies that positively impact our society," says the CEO of Go To Gym Service.
