Graphite is the most stable form of carbon found in crystalline form. It is a black, opaque substance with a luster resembling metals. Graphite is also known as plumbago. When exposed to extreme pressure and temperature, graphite changes itself into diamonds.
It has four types: crystalline, amorphous, lump, and graphite fibre.
Due to its high electrical conductivity, this material is widely used daily and is a common choice in electrical and electronics.
Here, we will discuss some common uses of graphite.
Batteries
The rapidly increasing demand for natural and synthetic graphite as an active anode material in lithium-ion batteries drives the graphite industry’s growth. Graphite improves electrical conductivity while maintaining chemical inertness and stability against corrosion.
In lithium-ion batteries, graphite is a primary component of the anode, serving as a host for the lithium ions. Graphite is also used in lesser amounts in other battery forms, primarily as an electrically conductive improver.
Unlike conventional batteries, fuel cells have the potential to generate electricity in addition to storing it. While outdated batteries only store electrical energy, fuel cells also have generation potential.
Graphene Sheets
You can create graphene sheets by using graphite. Research shows these sheets are 100 times stronger and ten times lighter than steel. This graphite derivative is often used to make lightweight and sturdy sports apparatus. Many people are thinking about potential uses in the aerospace and medical fields.
Electrical Industry
The crystalline form of graphite is one of the most widely employed in the electrical industry. Its primary advantage is its ability to conduct electricity and transfer heat away from critical components.
Graphite is crucial in nanotechnology as smaller devices and electronics become more compact, with carbon nanotubes becoming the norm. Its graphene form, an artificial single layer of carbon atoms, can be wrapped up and utilised in nanotubes.
Refractories
Before 1900, graphite crucibles carried molten metal, but today, graphite is a small component of refractories. The carbon-magnesite brick gained popularity in the mid-1980s, and the alumina-graphite type became a little later. Right now, the shapes of alumina-graphite, carbon-magnesite bricks, monolithic, and crustaceans are in order of significance.
Amorphous graphite is now used in high-end refractories, crucibles, and carbon-magnesite bricks due to larger flake graphite. The flake size required is much more versatile for these and other reasons.
Foundry Facings and Lubricants
A mould wash foundry is a water-based graphite paint that is an amorphous or fine flake. After drying, painting the mould’s interior with a fine graphite coat helps separate the cast object after cooling the hot metal.
Graphite lubricants are unique products used at very high or very low temperatures. Low graphite, or even better, grit graphite, is essential. Graphite can be applied in water or oil as a dry powder or colloidal graphite.
Fishing Rods
Graphite fishing rods have become the favourite choice for many skilled anglers, especially those looking for more action and sensitivity in their gear. Although they were first presented in the 1960s, they didn’t widely spread until the 1980s.
A Bass Fishing Casting Rod is slightly lighter than fiberglass, yet it is still long-lasting and can easily withstand big fish and severe weather. The cast is exceptionally accurate at any distance, and the fisherman has more control because of the empathetic feel.
However, graphite blanks aren’t very flexible, so you are required to get precise timing when fixing a hook. This also increases the rod’s brittleness and makes it more susceptible to snapping from a firm fish or getting tangled with rocks and branches. Finally, a graphite fishing rod is more costly than a fiberglass rod.