Theoretical and Applied Physics

Graphene

Graphene is a blend of graphite and the suffix -ene, named by Hanns-Peter Boehm, who described single-layer carbon foils in the year 1962. The term graphene first appeared in 1987 to describe single sheets of graphite as a constituent of graphite intercalation compounds (GICs). Theoretically GIC is a crystalline salt of the intercalant and graphene. The term was also used in early descriptions of carbon nanotubes, as well as for epitaxial graphene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Graphene is considered an "infinite alternant" (only six-member carbon ring) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.  The toxicity of graphene has been extensively debated in the literature. The most comprehensive review on graphene toxicity summarized the in vitro, in vivo, antimicrobial and environmental effects and highlights the various mechanisms of graphene toxicity. The toxicity of graphene is dependent on factors such as shape, size, purity, post-production processing steps, oxidative state, functional groups, dispersion state, synthesis methods, route, dose of administration and exposure times.