ABSTRACT
Graphite, the thermodynamically stable phase of carbon at ambient conditions, has been studied and used by humankind for centuries. For instance, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, graphite from a large high-quality deposit near Borrowdale in the English Lake District was used as a material to line the moulds for cannonballs. This resulted in rounder and smoother cannonballs than the UK’s military competitors, so production at the mine was strictly controlled by the Crown. To this day, graphite is used for an important and very diverse range of applications such as nuclear reactor moderators, pencils, electric motor brushes and addition of carbon to steel.
