Graphene brings wearable electronic devices closer

Researchers have used the wonder material graphene to create the world's first truly electronic textile, an advance that may pave the way for wearable electronics such as clothing containing computers and phones.
An international team of scientists, including Professor Monica Craciun from the University of Exeter, pioneered a new technique to embed transparent, flexible graphene electrodes into fibres commonly associated with the textile industry.
The discovery could revolutionise the creation of wearable electronic devices, such as clothing containing computers, phones and MP3 players, which are lightweight, durable and easily transportable, researchers 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," said Craciun, co-author of the research.

"The possibilities for its use are endless, including textile GPS systems, to biomedical monitoring, personal security or even communication tools for those who are sensory impaired," Craciun said.
The new research identified that 'monolayer graphene', which has exceptional electrical, mechanical and optical properties, is a highly attractive proposition as a transparent electrode for applications in wearable electronics.
In the study graphene was created by a growth method called chemical vapour deposition (CVD) onto copper foil, using a state-of-the-art nanoCVD system.
The team established a technique to transfer graphene from the copper foils to a polypropylene fibre already commonly used in the textile industry.