Graphene: learning from carbon nanotubes

As a new member of the carbon family, graphene has many fascinating properties and potential applications with the greatest degree of similarity to its "brother" carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Research on graphene has developed rapidly in the past 6 years, partially due to its similarity to carbon nanotubes which have been extensively studied for almost two decades. The adaptation of carbon nanotube research strategies for the development of graphene preparation, functionalization and applications as well as the conversion and hybrid structures of carbon nanotubes and graphene are reviewed in this feature article.