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Graphite is one of the most unusual materials in the world, a half-metal and a half-non-metal with unique properties that make it extremely useful. It is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions and, due to its layered structure, has an extremely low adsorption of X-rays and neutrons making it an ideal material for nuclear applications. Graphite is also an excellent lubricant and has many uses in the steel industry.
When you see a sheet of 3D graphite, it looks like a honeycomb with hexagons arranged in layers. On an atomic level, strong chemical bonds hold the carbon atoms within each layer together but the layers are held by weaker surface attractions (Van der Waals forces) which allows them to slip easily over each other. This makes massive 3D graphite soft and slick and is the source of its greasy feel that can leave marks on your fingers.
The slickness of graphite has led to its use in pencils and other writing utensils, its ability to absorb high-speed neutrons has made it an important material for the nuclear industry, and it has many industrial uses including lubricants, carbon brushes for electric motors and fire retardants. It is the main mineral mined in northern and central Minnesota mainly in Crow Wing, Cass and Morrison counties.
Graphite is a naturally occurring mineral that forms from the alteration of organic material during metamorphism. It can be extracted from its natural environment in a number of ways, with the most common method being mechanical exfoliation. This involves a multiple peeling process that breaks apart the layers of 3D pyrolytic graphite into single layer monolayers of graphene.