Flake graphite refers to the raw ore of natural graphite, which is typically processed by nitric acid treatment and dried to become expanded graphite, also known as vermicular graphite. Nano-graphite powder is a fine fraction of purified flake graphite. If any dimension of an object reaches a certain scale, it is called a nano-material. Colloidal graphite refers to a dispersion system with particle diameters between 1nm and 100nm, and colloidal graphite is considered a nano-material.
Graphite is a form of carbon, where each carbon atom is bonded to three other carbon atoms in a honeycomb-like arrangement of hexagons through covalent bonds, forming covalent molecules. As each carbon atom releases an electron, graphite is a conductor. Its uses include the production of pencil leads and lubricants. Carbon is a nonmetal element, known as Carbonium in Latin, which means "coal, charcoal." The Chinese character for "carbon" is composed of the character for "charcoal" (炭) combined with the character for stone (石), derived from the sound of "charcoal."
