First graphene-based flexible display created

For the first time scientists have developed a graphene-based flexible screen, an advance that paves the way for next generation of high-tech wearable and foldable electronic devices.
A flexible display incorporating graphene in its pixels' electronics was successfully demonstrated by the Cambridge University Graphene Centre and Plastic Logic, a spin-off company from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.
The prototype will accelerate the commercial development of graphene, and is a first step towards the wider implementation of graphene and graphene-like materials into flexible electronics, researchers said.
Graphene is a two-dimensional material made up of sheets of carbon atoms. It is among the strongest, most lightweight and flexible materials known, and has the potential to revolutionise industries from health-care to electronics.

The new prototype is an active matrix electrophoretic display, similar to the screens used in today's e-readers, except it is made of flexible plastic instead of glass.
In contrast to conventional displays, the pixel electronics, or backplane, of this display includes a solution-processed graphene electrode, which replaces the sputtered metal electrode layer within Plastic Logic's conventional devices, bringing product and process benefits.

Graphene is more flexible than conventional ceramic alternatives like indium-tin oxide (ITO) and more transparent than metal films.
The ultra-flexible graphene layer may enable a wide range of products, including foldable electronics. Graphene can also be processed from solution bringing inherent benefits of using more efficient printed and roll-to-roll manufacturing approaches.

The new 150 pixel per inch backplane was made at low temperatures (less than 100 degrees Celsius) using Plastic Logic's Organic Thin Film Transistor (OTFT) technology.
The graphene electrode was deposited from solution and subsequently patterned with micron-scale features to complete the backplane.
For this prototype, the backplane was combined with an electrophoretic imaging film to create an ultra-low power and durable display.
Future demonstrations may incorporate liquid crystal (LCD) and organic light emitting diodes (OLED) technology to achieve full colour and video functionality.
Lightweight flexible active-matrix backplanes may also be used for sensors, with novel digital medical imaging and gesture recognition applications already in development.

"This is a significant step forward to enable fully wearable and flexible devices. This cements the Cambridge graphene-technology cluster and shows how an effective academic-industrial partnership is key to help move graphene from the lab to the factory floor," said Professor Andrea Ferrari, Director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre.