A review on graphene and its derivatives as the forerunner of the two-dimensional material family for the future

In 2004, Geim and Novoselov discovered two-dimensional graphene comprised of sp 2 carbon atoms. Graphene is a thin layer of carbon consisting of excellent surface area, thermal conductivity, high electron mobility, greater mechanical strength, high electrical conductivity, and current density. Graphene attained significant attention among the research community. The properties and attributes of graphene make this material sufficiently promising to be utilized in different sectors. Based on this, researchers' interest in exploring innovative methods to develop quality graphene for the industrial purpose have increased. Therefore, this review presents a current research development on the synthesis methods of graphene and its composites and their structure and properties. Furthermore, the practical aspects of graphene and its derivatives that are fabricated via these techniques for different graphene-based applications in the development of biosensors, water treatment, solar energy systems, fuel cells, catalysis engineering, food package engineering, and various other applications are also discussed. Based on the literature published over the years, it has been observed that the synthesis approaches, namely liquid-phase exfoliation, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and oxidative exfoliation reduction, can be commercialized to produce high-quality graphene. Overall, graphene-based nanomaterials have opened glorious opportunities for future applications. Graphical abstract