Graphene is the enabling material of the 21st century and there are high expectations for its potential applications. A
clear and consistent system describing the various derivatives of graphene promotes a precise vocabulary for the family of graphene-based materials. This will be a prerequisite, for example, to understand structure–activity relationships in the context of human health and safety and to avoid generalizations about the capabilities and limitations of graphenebased materials. Within the European Unions GRAPHENE Flagship project, three physical-chemical descriptors specific for graphene were defined to assist in the classification of graphene-based materials.
