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The Weekly On-Line Newsletter from the European Institute of Printed Circuits.

Post:2015.05.21 Hits:1118

 The Weekly On-Line Newsletter from the European Institute of Printed Circuits. 

An international team of scientists, including Professor Monica Craciun 
from the University of Exeter, have 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. 
  
The international collaborative research, which includes experts from 
the Centre for Graphene Science at the University of Exeter, the Institute 
for Systems Engineering and Computers, Microsystems and 
Nanotechnology (INESC‐MN) in Lisbon, the Universities of Lisbon and 
Aveiro in Portugal and the Belgian Textile Research Centre (CenTexBel), 
is published in the leading scientific journal Scientific Reports. 
  
Professor 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. 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. The only limits are really within our 
own imagination." 
  
At just one atom thick, graphene is the thinnest substance capable of 
conducting electricity. It is very flexible and is one of the strongest.