© Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Graphene etched onto a slice of bread.
Graphene patterns can be written onto everyday materials such as food, paper, cloth and cardboard, say US scientists,
potentially producing a new class of edible electronics.
Graphene is a revolutionary material made up of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. It is almost completely transparent, extremely light and strong, and an efficient conductor of heat and electricity. Ongoing research is working to exploit its properties in diverse applications such as tissue engineering, water filtration, solar cells and glass-based electronics.
As described in
a study published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano, a team of scientists led by Yieu Chyan and Ruquan Ye of Rice University in Texas, US, used a commercial laser to create graphene patterns on a variety of materials, including paper, cardboard, cloth, coal, potatoes, coconuts, and toast.
"This is not ink," says James Tour, Rice University chemist and co-author of the study. "This is taking the material itself and converting it into graphene."
The materials used in the study have a common factor: lignin, a complex organic polymer that binds the cells, fibres and vessels of many plants and algae. Crucially, it is largely composed of carbon.
The team claim that any material with a high enough carbon content can be turned into graphene. In 2011 they made graphene out of insects, waste and even Girl Scout cookies,
using a different technique involving carbon deposition on copper foil.
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