Context:
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) launched the ‘Graphene-Aurora program’ recently.
About Graphene Aurora Program:
- Aim – To assist India in becoming a notable part of the graphene market by encouraging new ideas and helping bring those ideas into practical use.
- Establishment of the India Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (I-GEIC) as a not for profit company.
About Graphene:
- An allotrope of carbon arranged in a hexagonal lattice.
- Referred to as a “wonder material”
- Discovered by – Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov (2004)
- Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics (2010)
- World’s thinnest, strongest, and most conductive material of both electricity and heat.
- Properties –
- Conducts electricity better than copper.
- 200 times stronger than steel but six times lighter.
- Almost perfectly transparent as it absorbs only 2% of light.
- Impermeable to gases, even those as light as hydrogen and helium.
- Absorb and dissipate electromagnetic waves
- Applications –
- Aerospace, automotive, sports equipment and construction.
- Used for high-performance batteries and super-capacitors, touchscreens, and conductive inks.
- Graphene oxide membranes are used for water purification and desalination.
- Graphene-based masks
- Used in defence and aerospace for armour and ballistic protection
- Stealth coatings that reduce radar signatures and electromagnetic interference
- Graphene Economy –
- China and Brazil are global leaders in the commercial production of graphene.
- India produces about 1/20th compared to China and 1/3rd compared to Brazil.
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
“3D printing” has applications in which of the following?
- Preparation of confectionery items
- Manufacture of bionic ears
- Automotive industry
- Reconstructive surgeries
- Data processing technologies
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2018 Prelims]
(a) 1, 3 and 4 only
(b) 2, 3 and 5 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
