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[Sensei]

I'm derping and can't remember the name, but isn't there an ore of some sort that forms into regular square structures and has an iridescent, thin-film-interference sort of color? That'd at least make an interesting gem. As for graphene? Nasty and black, if you can get enough to even see. It looks like a company called Nanjing XFNano sells "Graphene Paper" but to me it looks like a thin layer of graphene stuck to the bottom of one of those foil covers from a cup of yogurt.

[Virex]

That graphene paper looks like buckypaper to me. If my experience with buckypaper (paper made from carbon nanotubes) and what has been said about graphene paper is anything to go by, there would be no need for a substrate material (though we did keep the buckypaper on the filters used to make them because taking it off was difficult and unnecessary for us)

What you would probably want if you go this route would be something akin to this:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/new-graphene-material-paper-thin-and-ten-times-stronger-steel

Here's the paper (pdf link), for those who don't have access to J. App. Phys.

[Graebeard]

See above post I made at the same second.
That stuff is a different material; so be sure to check its properties and such to ensure it is amiable to your project.

Edit: Yep; seems that stuff has a bit of a problem which would limit its use in your project:
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2007/07/25-02.html

The sheets remain stable when exposed to air, says Ruoff, but immersing them in water slowly loosens the bonds. Also, says materials scientist Boris Yakobson of Rice University in Houston, Texas, because water is so common as either liquid as rain or vapor as humidity, it will likely affect graphene sheets exposed to the environment in the long run if the material can't be protected from water's effects.

Which means it has to be entirely sealed within the ring to prevent it from falling apart due to contact with moisture.

Excellent points, particularly the stability issue.

Graphene oxide is, indeed, a different substance.  I thought it had a more recent provenance, but I see we've been working with it for a long time.  I (probably) won't be using the rings for chemistry, so it's more the scientific applications that interest me.  I'm going to look into some other options, but I think I'd be willing to do some sort of resin-encased graphene oxide paper that's way stronger than steel.  I mean, for an impractical adornment that has no actual use, that's pretty cool.

Is anyone familiar with the "graphene foams" available on Graphene Supermarket?  Any thoughts on trying to incorporate this into a metal or composite ring instead of graphene oxide paper?

Edit: I have no idea why I'm not getting warnings when people ninja me...

Virex, that is very interesting.  Are you familiar with the durability of buckypaper?  I doubt your research was in that vein, but do you have any thoughts about cutting/handling buckypaper?

[Sensei]

I'm going to look into some other options, but I think I'd be willing to do some sort of resin-encased graphene oxide paper that's way stronger than steel.  I mean, for an impractical adornment that has no actual use, that's pretty cool.

That sounds suspiciously similar to carbon fiber- just that's carbon tubes instead of sheets. To be honest though, I'd imagine that carbon fiber as we know it is more prevalent for a reason.

[Virex]

Carbon fiber is made in an entirely different way, usually by internally crosslinking an unsaturated polymer. It's in no way similar to carbon nanotubes in case you were thinking of that. It does form interlocking fibers, but those fibers themselves have graphite-like structures.

Virex, that is very interesting.  Are you familiar with the durability of buckypaper?  I doubt your research was in that vein, but do you have any thoughts about cutting/handling buckypaper?

I have no experience with long-term chemical or mechanical stability (if you find any papers about that behind a pay wall, I can probably get them for you) as our research was on the area of electrical properties and synthesis of bucky papers, but handling is very similar to normal paper. You can just cut it in shape, although for a ring structure I'd look into depositing it into a ring shape in some way, as that avoids the need for glues.

[Graebeard]

I'm going to look into some other options, but I think I'd be willing to do some sort of resin-encased graphene oxide paper that's way stronger than steel.  I mean, for an impractical adornment that has no actual use, that's pretty cool.

That sounds suspiciously similar to carbon fiber- just that's carbon tubes instead of sheets. To be honest though, I'd imagine that carbon fiber as we know it is more prevalent for a reason.

Agreed, it is similar to carbon fiber.  But carbon fiber doesn't rile me up the same way that graphene does.  Carbon fiber would probably be relatively easy to form into a ring.  You could actually make a ring entirely out of it (plus a stabilizing compound to hold its shape), but it doesn't have the same glittery rare substance appeal that I get from some of the other materials we've brought up.

And, it wasn't involved in the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics.   

I have no experience with long-term chemical or mechanical stability (if you find any papers about that behind a pay wall, I can probably get them for you), but handling is very similar to normal paper. You can just cut it in shape, although for a ring structure I'd look into depositing it into a ring shape in some way, as that voids the need for glues.

That is a great idea.  I suspect time and money considerations may hold me back, but I'll certainly look into it.

[DeKaFu]

Maybe a bit off-topic, but as far as cool and unusual material for jewellery goes, there's always Ammolite. It's basically little pieces of iridescent fossilized ammonite shell (those prehistoric squid-things with snail-like shells). It's pretty striking to look at.

[Virex]

That is a great idea.  I suspect time and money considerations may hold me back, but I'll certainly look into it.

You'd need to be careful when working with carbon nanotubes though, they're as bad for your lungs as asbestos. It'd be best if you could get them in suspension.

[Graebeard]

[Disclaimer] I have a liberal arts degree.  I have no formal scientific training [/Disclaimer]

That said, Virex, It sounds like you're suggesting I could acquire a carbon nanotube suspension and form a precipitate on a ring-shaped substrate.  Is that kind of thing within the ambit of a home chemistry hobbyist?

[Starver]

Coming late to this, and reading all messages but not things linked to, my first thoughts were something along the lines of getting the jeweller to take graphene flakes (which they can obtain via the 'scotch tape' method, as I've seen already mentioned, as much as necessary to get the necessary quantities) and set them between two transparent gem-like 'stones' (or one carefully cleaved one), which could be something natural like quartz or something else a bit "techy", a polymer or lab-grown crystal of choice.  This assemblage is mounted in your ring, so as to maintain the "porthole" effect.  With the right usage of crystal (or back-to-back pair), you might get some interesting polarisation (or newtonian?) effects of the flakes, especially if they are artfully laid so that there's some overlaying of one graphene flake over the edge of another.

Optionally, incorporate themochromic liquid crystals somewhere, into the mount.  Optionally optionally (if you can work it out, in the time needed), can you exploit a piezoelectric effect (in the crystal) or thermoelectric effect (in the metal of the mounting) and allow the given voltage to create a low-level electroluminescence?  Not necessarily a full-blown luminescence as per a proper LED, but maybe a pleasing glow in a darkened room.


[Five new messages while I was writing the above?  Seriously?]

[Virex]

I don't know what kind of equipment you have, but all we did was take a suspension of CNT's and put that on a filter paper with very fine pores, then applied a vacuum to the filter paper, which sucked out the liquid and left us with a buckypaper. Making the suspension was the most work, although it takes quite some time to filter off all liquid because solvents don't permeate through buckypaper very well.


Here's a link describing one synthesis protocol: http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/nanolab2000/preparation-of-buckypaper.pdf. As you can see, the purification and suspension takes most time, while making the paper is quite simple.

[Microcline]

I'm not entirely certain that this will work.  Most graphene materials have been made only as proof-of-concepts, and I can't think of any ways off the top of my head to incorporate it into jewelery.  Even if it could be made into a ring at a reasonable price, it's long-term durability is still questionable.  One of the engineering constraints of an engagement ring/wedding band is that it should retain it's value beyond a human lifetime.  Even if a graphene ring isn't vulnerable to chemical or mechanical damage, fabrication advances could render it a valueless novelty.  Barring massive breakthroughs in particle physics, elemental metals are probably the best bet for materials that retain their value.

I've thought before about replacement metals for the traditional gold ring, but none of them seemed adequate, generally being low value, brittle, prone to scratching, or undesirably reactive.  If you're dead set on Fullerene, I think there's been work with enhancing metals with bulk CNTs.  My work is more on the electronics side of MSAE than the mechanical, so I don't know whether it'd be feasible in this case or what equipment you'd need.  Nanolithography might be able to produce an inscription or interesting optical effect, and is much more in my area of expertise, but wouldn't be possible without a lab set up for it.

I'd also caution against using graphene, Buckyballs, CNTs, or nanoparticles outside of a lab environment.  No one wants a repeat of what happened with radium.

If you want to SCIENCE-up a ring, your best bet would probably be to use a synthetic diamond.  They're higher-quality, much more reflective of the market value of diamonds (read: not much), and none of the profit goes to ruthless monopolies or the exploitation of Africa.

Also, congratulations on getting married!

[Armok]

bit of topic, but any SCIENCE!! related ring needs to incorporate aluminium somehow.

[Graebeard]

Virex, that does sound pretty straightforward, particularly if I'm able to find a solution that would work out of the bottle.

Visually, here's what I'm thinking:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Source (Bario-Neal).  Funfact: this is the jeweler that made our engagement ring (sapphire/platinum).  It turned out great, I highly recommend them!

Having a metal ring with an inlaid and enameled graphene paper, graphene oxide paper, or buckypaper would be pretty rad, I think.

Any thoughts on metal?  Microcline is down with gold.  I have to admit gold does have a great appeal (it's freaking, gold!), but I've also considered platinum, palladium, and titanium when I've given this some thought before.

[Nadaka]

Just go with 3 dimensional graphene. Its common trade name is diamonds.