A decade of graphene research: production, applications and outlook

Graphene research has accelerated exponentially since 2004 when graphene was isolated and characterized for the first time utilizing the ‘Scotch Tape’ method by Geim and Novoselov and given the reports of unique electronic properties that followed. The number of academic publications reporting the use of graphene was so substantial in 2013 that it equates to over 40 publications per day. With such an enormous interest in graphene it is imperative for both experts and the layman to keep up with both current graphene technology and the history of graphene technology. Consequently, this review addresses the latter point, with a primary focus upon disseminating graphene research with a more applicatory approach and the addition of our own personal graphene perspectives; the future outlook of graphene is also considered.