Background

The use of graphene in the area of smart textiles is advantageous as graphene is well known to have good electrical conducting properties, and to be of good mechanical strength and flexibility.

Pristine graphite (PG) exfoliation is currently the way to produce the best quality graphene compared with other exfoliation methods, however its integration in flexible electronics is still lagging behind. Previously, deposition of graphene suspensions onto substrates required the incorporation of additives to adjust the level of viscosity, as well as high-temperature annealing, which makes those methods not compatible with substrates such as paper, textiles or plastic. Researchers at the University of Exeter have developed deposition methods for forming graphene films on a range of substrates without additives, having potential for the development of graphene based flexible electronics.

Technology Overview

Researchers at the University of Exeter have developed a method for environmentally friendly and industrially scalable production of graphene suspensions and a method to deposit patterned graphene films onto substrates with a range of sizes and geometries. This methodology has also been used to fabricate a flexible and transparent triboelectric nanogenerator. In these devices, the combined action of the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction enables the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy in a reliable and efficient manner even on mechanically flexible substrates. Tests conducted upon the optimised material have shown that repeated touching and bending does not have a detrimental impact upon their functionality.

Benefits

Versatile and quick (under 1 minute) production of water-based shear exfoliated graphene suspensions, which can be carried out at room temperature. This method does not require the use of chemical treatments, thus lends itself to industrial exploitation.
Our deposition method eliminates the need of an etching step, enables low-temperature deposition, and theoretically can be used for any 2D material.
Provides an alternative technique by which a patterned electrically conductive region may be provided on a substrate such as a textile or fibre.
Enables fabrication of a new generation of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) devices, which benefit from the outstanding physical properties of graphene as well as a scalable, reproducible, environment-friendly and cost-effective route to self-powering wearable devices.

Applications

Common smart textile and flexible electronics applications, such as:

Clothing
Home fabrics
Automotive textiles
Medical diagnostics
Health monitoring

Opportunity

The University is keen to discuss potential partnerships with a view to collaborations or commercial licensing opportunities.

Wearable and Flexible Technologies Using Graphene

Patents

IP Status

Seeking