Graphene

Scientists have developed a new electronic “tattoo” that can monitor a patient’s blood pressure continuously. The e-tattoo is made of graphene and can be worn for long periods without getting in the way, allowing for better health data.

We need to get creative with recycling. In a new study, researchers at Rice University and Ford’s Research and Innovation Center have demonstrated how waste plastic from old cars could be used to make graphene foam that can then be used in new cars.

It’s an unfortunate truth that many important chemical reactions require rare and expensive metals as catalysts. But now, scientists have developed a device that actively tweaks plain old aluminum to make it behave like other metals on the fly.

Engineers in the US and Mexico have developed a way to use soot from emissions to improve solar thermal devices. The coatings are not only cheaper to produce but more efficient than using materials like graphene, while reducing pollution.

Indium is one of the rarest metals on Earth, but it’s a key ingredient in ubiquitous electronic devices. Engineers have demonstrated a way to swap indium for graphene, which is made from common carbon, while retaining the same electronic properties.

A couple of years ago, Canadian scientists celebrated the Christmas season by creating a microscopic gingerbread house. In that same spirit, Danish researchers have now produced the world's thinnest Christmas tree – and it's made of graphene.

An experimental new material could help rehabilitate the injured and allow the nonspeaking to "speak," among other potential uses. It's also highly elastic, electrically conductive and self-healing – and it's known as CareGum.

Norda's new 001 G+ Spike trail running shoe keeps feet dry and warm through snow, slush and icy puddles with a graphene membrane. Combine that with Dyneema up top and spikes down low, and you have a high-tech running shoe that thrives in winter.

Currently, most diabetics have to check their blood glucose levels by performing finger-prick blood tests, or via implanted sensors. An experimental new device, however, could someday do the job while simply adhered to the surface of the user's skin.

Even with the toughest-looking bike locks, many people still say, "An angle grinder would go right through that." Well, Hiplok's new D1000 is claimed to be different – it's touted as being "the first portable anti-angle-grinder bike lock."

A first-of-a-kind trial now underway seeks to apply the wonder material graphene's impressive attributes to one of the UK's major thoroughfares, by deploying it in a road resurfacing project along a stretch of the A1.

Graphene is already shaping the future of battery technology in some interesting ways, and now scientists have deployed a novel form of the wonder material in a sustainable sodium battery to bring about a tenfold increase in capacity.