Graphene is pretty remarkable stuff. It has existed in theory since the 1940s, but
it wasn’t until 2004 that scientist at the University of Manchester were able
to grow graphene crystals (a discovery that resulted in a Nobel Prize by the
way). So the potential was demonstrated
for an atom thin strand of super strength material that is transparent and
conducts electricity. How do you mass produce strands of such exotic material? Let’s try silk worms.
Researchers from Tsinghua University in
Beijing sparked international interest recently with what may become one of the
first large-scale applications of graphene.
Chemist Yingying Zhang and her colleagues
fed the tremendously strong yet flexible, carbon allotrope to silkworms by
dissolving it in water, then spraying the solution (0.2 percent graphene by
weight) on mulberry leaves. The experiment yielded a silk that is twice as
tough as ordinary silk and can cope with 50 percent more stress. It also
conducts electricity, meaning it could be used to produce wearable electronics.
The double-strength silk is one of the first
signs of the graphene revolution that scientists have been hoping for. They say
that graphene may someday be used in everything from water purification to
energy storage and lightweight planes.
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