GraphExeter - The lightest, most transparent and most flexible transmission material

Currently, almost all touch-screen displays of electronic technology devices must rely on a coating made from indium tin oxide (ITO) material. This material is used by electrical conductivity, optimal optical transparency and easy to put into the display as a thin film.

The popularity of touch screen technology in the world has generally stimulated the demand for ITO materials to increase dramatically, making this material become increasingly scarce and likely to run out within a decade. this. In addition, ITO layers are fragile and lack flexibility, making them unsuitable for use in highly flexible displays.

Therefore, researchers are forced to find alternative solutions. Recently scientists at the University of Exeter have discovered the material that is arguably the lightest, most transparent and most flexible conductor based on graphene.

Graphene molecules.

Graphene is one of the most effective materials known for its thinness, electrical conductivity and high flexibility. However, researchers have also encountered the ever-present obstacle problem when developing this material, which is high resistance that limits graphene's ability to conduct electricity.

To overcome this obstacle, the Exeter University team inserted a layer of iron chloride molecule between two graphene membranes to increase the conductivity without affecting the transparency of the material.

The scientists named this mixture of materials, GraphExeter, and argued that this is the lightest, most transparent and the most flexible conductive material ever created. With these optimized features, GraphExeter is not only used to make flexible touch screens, but can also be applied to electronic devices worn and carried around like an MP3 attached to a T-shirt. or mirrors, 'smart' windows that feature computer interaction.

"The material can be transparent on a wide spectrum of light spectrum, so it can be used to improve the efficiency of solar panels by 30%," the team said.

'GraphExeter can be a historic step in the electronics industry. It's more efficient than any other carbon-based transparent transmission material used in electronics and can be applied to a wide range of applications, from solar batteries to smart T-shirts " , lead researcher, Dr. Monica Craciun said.