Graphene is made of a single layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons. It is so thin that it is actually considered two dimensional. Graphene’s flat honeycomb pattern grants it many unusual characteristics. In this instructable, we share our experiences of creating Graphene.

Supplies

Microscope Slides
Cardboard
Kapton Tape
Multimeter
Laser Cutting Machine

Step 1: Preparing the Microscope Slides

The Kapton Tape is stuck on a microscope slide with a piece of cardboard for support.

Step 2: Laser Etching the Kapton Tape to Produce Graphene

We use a 130W TroTec Laser Cutting machine to etch the surface of the Kapton Tape to produce Graphene.

A power of 1.25W and a speed of 0.25 was used in our settings on the TroTec.

Note: The Power and Speed settings may vary with different laser machines and tapes.

Step 3: Testing for Graphene

Graphene is a conductive material. One way to find out whether the etching process produced Graphene is to check for its conductivity using a multimeter.

Our experiments showed a resistance ranging between 70 Ohms to 90 Ohms for the Graphene that was produced with our process.