New Atlas

Materials Audio available

Graphene in Play-Doh-like form can be molded into any shape

Nick Lavars February 3, 2019

There has been a lot said and written about the possibilities of graphene sheets, but material scientists at Northwestern University are casting their minds toward a malleable form of the material that can be kneaded and molded like Play-Doh.

Scientists have developed a form of graphene that can be kneaded into different three-dimensional shapes, just ...

Materials Audio available

Traitor bacteria help build graphene water filter that kills other bacteria

Michael Irving January 17, 2019

Water filters get less effective as bacteria builds up on their surface. Now, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new type of membrane that reduces such biofouling by actively killing bacteria with graphene – and in an interesting twist, it’s built by bacteria.

Researchers have used bacteria to build a new water filter that kills other bacteria

Quantum Computing Audio available

Physicists measure how long graphene qubits hover in "alive/dead" superposition

Michael Irving January 1, 2019

Practical quantum computers may be another step closer to reality, thanks again to graphene. The bits of information in quantum computers (qubits) can exist in two states at once, and now researchers have managed to record just how long that superposition state can last in a qubit made of graphene.

Researchers have managed to record how long graphene "qubits" can stay in a superposition state

Science Audio available

Graphene-enhanced material may be bound for the brain

Ben Coxworth November 26, 2018

There are a variety of situations that may call for the implantation of electrodes in the brain, ranging from the treatment of neurological conditions to restoring the function of paralyzed limbs. A newly-developed hydrogel could someday replace such electrodes, allowing for better functionality.

A sample of the electrically-conductive antibacterial hydrogel

Materials

Study suggests that most commercial graphene just isn't good enough

Ben Coxworth November 14, 2018

Graphene has a great deal of potential applications, including its use in energy storage, building materials and medical devices. According to the National University of Singapore, however, most commercially-produced graphene is of a poor quality.

Researchers from the NUS Centre for Advanced 2D Materials assess the quality of graphene samples

Energy

Bionic mushroom uses bacteria and graphene to generate electricity

Ben Coxworth November 7, 2018

Could your home one day be powered by patches of mushrooms? Probably not, but scientists have nonetheless created a "bionic mushroom" that does indeed generate electricity – and it may pave the way for more practical bio-electric systems.

An electrode network (branched pattern) and cyanobacteria (spiral pattern) were 3D-printed onto the mushroom

Materials Audio available

MIT punches out cell-sized robots made of graphene

Michael Irving October 23, 2018

MIT engineers recently managed to create cell-sized robots that could collect data about their environment, but were a little tricky to manufacture. Now, the team has found a way to mass produce these synthetic cells (syncells) through controlled fracturing of graphene.

MIT researchers have developed a technique to mass produce cell-sized robots out of graphene

Health & Wellbeing

Küschall makes Superstar wheelchair light and strong with some help from graphene

Paul Ridden September 26, 2018

Graphene – the "wonder material" that's stronger than steel and tougher than diamond – has recently found its way into experimental aircraft, clothing and concrete. And now Küschall has announced the Superstar, the first wheelchair to be built using the one atom thick form of carbon.

The Superstar's is reckoned to be lighter and tougher than classic carbon-fiber-based wheelchairs

Materials

New 3D printing process paints graphene aerogel in far finer detail

Michael Irving August 23, 2018

Graphene is famous as a two-dimensional material, but to really make the most of the stuff we need to coax it back into 3D forms. Now researchers from Virginia Tech have developed a new way to 3D print graphene aerogels with a far higher resolution than previously possible.

A 3D-printed piece of graphene aerogel, that's so light it can balance on top of a ...

Materials Audio available

Negative curvature schwarzite rounds out trinity of carbon nanostructures

Michael Irving August 14, 2018

Carbon atoms can form graphene sheets and buckyballs. Scientists have theorized that a third variation should exist with negative curvature, known as schwarzite. An international team has now found a way to create these structures, which may have unusual electrical, magnetic and optical properties.

The negative curve of schwarzite is represented in this graphic by the researchers