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Many of the countless applications that graphene would be ideal for require sheets of the material assembled into a singular structure. However, the task of creating such large quantities also brings with it the challenge to maintain structural integrity and reliability. Additionally, it has proven difficult to achieve high elasticity in three-dimensional graphene networks.
Our Researchers have developed a new class of superelastic and ultralight graphene-based cellular monoliths by marrying graphene chemistry with ice physics. These materials mimic the structure of natural cork and can be readily fabricated by freeze casting partially reduced graphene oxide in a cost-effective process.
Further research has shown that these resulting materials can sustain their structural integrity under immense loads. They can also recover from extensive compression, plus have impressive energy absorption capability and good electrical conductivity.
This unique graphene elastomer shows a range of properties existing polymer elastomers do not demonstrate, highlighting the vast opportunities of graphene.
In-depth study has further proved that this new class of graphene-based elastomers have a variety of properties deemed unattainable in conventional polymer elastomers used for flexible electronics. For example, graphene elastomers are extremely soft, they are inherently piezoresistive and also demonstrate an excellent response to dynamic force. Due to these qualities, the elastomers are an ideal material for sensing vibrations.
A soft vibration sensor based on the graphene elastomer was created and analysed by our team of Researchers. Findings showed it also had potential applications as an accelerometer and a microphone. In particular, the accelerometer demonstrated excellent sensitivity and synergy with wearable sensing applications that bettered those of conventional microelectromechanical devices.
This new class of soft vibration sensor is promising for novel flexible electronics applications,
soft robotics and wearable sensing technologies.
