European researchers claim breakthrough in wearable tech
18/05/2015
Their research, published in journal Scientific Reports, involves a technique to embed transparent, flexible graphene electrodes into fibres by transfering graphene from copper foils to polypropylene.
The University of Exeter’s Professor Monica Craciun, co-author of the research, said: “This is a pivotal point in the future of wearable electronic devices. The potential has been there for a number of years, and transparent and flexible electrodes are already widely used in plastics and glass, for example. But this is the first example of a textile electrode being truly embedded in a yarn.”
Dr Helena Alves, who led the research team from the University of Aveiro, added: “The concept of wearable technology is emerging, but so far having fully textile-embedded transparent and flexible technology is non-existent. The development of processes and engineering for the integration of graphene in textiles would give rise to a new universe of commercial applications.“
At just one atom thick, graphene is the thinnest substance capable of conducting electricity. It is very flexible and is one of the strongest known materials.
Researchers from Cambridge launched a flexible display incorporating graphene in its pixels’ electronics last September.
Germany's Hohenstein Institute is studying the material's possibilities for heat protective clothing.
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