As the main component of pencil lead, graphite is a very common carbon material.

　　Graphene is the basic structural unit of graphite, a single atomic layer of graphite's hexagonal lattice plane. Stacking layers of graphene forms graphite. The wonder of the nanoworld lies in the fact that once the graphite plane is liberated from its three-dimensional collective, it exhibits a series of extraordinary properties, earning it the title of "super material".

　　It is worth discussing that graphene, as a simple substance of the carbon element, strictly speaking, should not "apply" the naming method of organic matter. As is known, "alkane, alkene, alkyne" are the naming methods for hydrocarbons, based on the perfection of the carbon-carbon bond, saturated (perfect) carbon bonds are called alkanes, the fire radical indicates its flammability, alkenes correspond to carbon-carbon double bonds (less common), and alkynes correspond to carbon-carbon triple bonds (further lack of saturation). This imprecision is due to historical reasons, and it is best not to mention it. However, this imprecision has opened the floodgates, making "ene" a fashionable naming method for subsequent two-dimensional materials, which is regrettable.

　　From a practical standpoint, graphene is the thinnest and strongest known nanomaterial. It is almost completely transparent, lightweight, structurally stable, and possesses excellent flexibility and superior electrical and thermal conductivity. It has enormous application potential in high-tech fields and is a highly radiative, strategically significant "disruptive material". Our choice of graphene as the main research subject is primarily because graphene research can promote the upgrading of traditional materials and drive innovation in a large number of civilian and military industries.

　　It is worth noting that currently, the mainstream international powder graphene manufacturing technology has the problem of "three highs and one low": Although the mainstream oxidation-reduction technology is more suitable for large-scale production, the production process is highly polluting, the product defect rate is extremely high, and it is not suitable for high-performance fields. Although the British arc method technology can prepare nano-corners with a structure close to graphene, the production efficiency is extremely low, seriously hindering the industrial application of graphene. Therefore, in recent years, the international research focus has been on the repair technology of high-defect graphene, which treats the symptoms but not the root cause. Our team has focused on the source of graphene manufacturing, conducted scientific research, and invented a world-leading, fully green, mass-production technology for high-quality graphene, achieving the goal of producing high-quality graphene powder in one step using clean methods. Its preparation process has energy consumption less than 1% of the arc method, the product quality is superior to the arc method, the cost is less than 0.5%, and the annual production capacity of a single machine with comparable energy consumption can reach tens of tons.

　　Not only in terms of preparation, but also the industrial application of graphene is a key focus of our attention. In response to the problems of easy fire and explosion and weak battery life of current lithium batteries, Zhengzhou New Century Materials Genome Engineering Research Institute uses graphene to replace traditional graphite as the battery negative electrode material, and combines graphene with non-embedded positive electrode materials to develop relatively mature metal-ion batteries. The energy density can be increased by 2.5 times, the charging and discharging speed is faster, and it is safer to use. For PM2.5, one of the major sources of automobile exhaust emissions, the institute has developed graphene fabrics with high filtration efficiency to solve the problem of exhaust pollution; research on functional composite materials such as infrared heating, efficient heat exchange, electromagnetic shielding, anti-corrosion, anti-corrosion lubricating grease, sterilization, and physiotherapy is also gradually progressing.

　　Currently, with Zhengzhou New Century Materials Genome Engineering Research Institute as the research and development leader, we are actively building a graphene innovation base, which will include a manufacturing center with an annual output of more than 50 tons, incubating application technologies, and forming an application industrial chain radiating to surrounding areas to achieve on-site production, digestion, and application.

　　(Author: Shao Guosheng, President of Zhengzhou New Century Materials Genome Engineering Research Institute)