Graphene: A Wonder Material 石墨烯：一种神奇材料

导读：石墨烯，一种神奇的材料，能够让有语言障碍的人“说话”，从此不再被交流困扰。如今，中国正大力发展石墨烯在各个领域内的应用……

How wonderful it would be if new technology could help the physically challenged. A smart wearable device that enables  people with speaking disabilities to communicate normally is giving hope to those without a voice.

Tao Luqi， a research fellow at Chongqing University， used a material called graphene to produce an artificial throat with a tiny sensor that allows people with speech impairments to speak normally， according to a paper published in Nature Communications. Tao has continued his work on the device for the last few years.

Although its a tiny mechanical sensor， it can work wonders. The device can detect weak vibrations and can produce sounds across a wide spectrum， from 100 Hz to 40 kHz， China Daily reported. Humans can detect sounds in a frequency range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

如果新技术能帮助残障人士该有多好。一款可穿戴智能设备让有语言障碍的人能够正常交流，给那些无法发声的人带来了希望。

如果新技术能帮助残障人士该有多好。一款可穿戴智能设备让有语言障碍的人能够正常交流，给那些无法发声的人带来了希望。

虽然这只是一个很小的机械传感器，但是可以创造奇迹。据《中国日报》报道，这个装置可以探测微弱震动，并产生 100Hz—40kHz 的宽频谱声音。而人类可以感知到 20Hz—20kHz 频率范围内的声音。

“有语言障碍的人虽然不能说话，但是他们的喉咙能产生震动。”陶璐琪在接受澎湃新闻采訪时表示，“如果我把一个石墨烯制成的装置放进人的喉咙里，它就能探测到喉咙的震动，并通过电信号转化成声音。”

Even whispers， screams and coughs at different frequencies can be recorded and encoded by the device， and it can arrange them into groups. When the device detects the sounds in a particular group， it will reproduce the words， phrases or sentences， according to Tao.

Taos artificial throat has brought the possibilities of graphene to reality. Its been 18 years since the discovery of graphene， and the world has been waiting for the “wonder material” to provide groundbreaking innovations . At only the width of an atom， graphene is the thinnest material known to humans — and also the strongest . The material is also an efficient conductor of heat and electricity， and is ultra-lightweight， China Daily reported.

“Graphene really does have fantastic properties and its potential is huge，” said KhashaGhaffarzadeh，  a  director  at UK-based research consultancy IDTechEx.

China has emerged as a key country for graphene production . Around 3，000 Chinese companies are exploring uses for graphene， according to government statistics in 2018， while half of the worlds graphene- related patents have been filed in China， according to China Daily.

“Its a brand-new science， and China is trying to take the lead，” said Neill Ricketts， chief executive at Versarien， a UK-based advanced material company.

甚至是不同频率的耳语、尖叫和咳嗽都可以被该设备记录、编码，并进行分类。陶璐琪表示，当设备探测到特定组别中的声音时，它就会重现单词、短语或句子。

陶璐琪的人工喉用石墨烯将一些可能性变为现实。石墨烯已经被发现了18年之久，全世界都在等待这种“神奇材料”带来突破性的创新。仅为一个原子厚度的石墨烯，是人类已知的最薄的、最坚固的材料。《中国日报》报道称，超轻的石墨烯也是有效的热导体和电导体。

英国研究咨询公司IDTechEx的一名主管卡莎·加法尔扎德说：“石墨烯确实具有神奇的性能，其潜力是巨大的。”

中国已成为石墨烯的主要生产国。据《中国日报》报道，我国政府2018年的统计数据显示，约有3000家中国企业在探索石墨烯的应用，世界上一半的与石墨烯相关的专利都在中国。

“这是一门全新的科学，中国正试图发挥带头作用。”英国先进材料公司沃萨润的首席执行官尼尔·里基茨表示。