From Insulator To Conductor - In A Flash

An insulator can now be transformed to conduct electricity by an ordinary camera flash, says a Northwestern University professor and his students who have found a new way of turning graphite oxide, a low-cost insulator made by oxidizing graphite powder, into graphene, a hotly studied material that conducts electricity. Graphene is the material du jour in studies to produce low-cost carbon-based transparent and flexible electronics. Previous processes to reduce graphite oxide relied on toxic chemicals or high-temperature treatment.  Instead of that, the Northwestern folks kept it simple, wondering if something like a camera flash could instantly heat up the graphite oxide and turn it into graphene. read more

Read the whole article on Scientific Blogging

More from Scientific Blogging

Related