Researchers wrapped droplets in graphene for better sensors, microchips and batteries

Researchers from the University of Sussex, the University of Brighton and CNRS have developed a way to wrap emulsion droplets with graphene and other 2D materials by reducing the coatings down to atomically-thin nanosheet layers. The team said this could ‘significantly advance’ the new technology area of liquid electronics, enhancing the functionality and sustainability of potential applications in printed electronics, wearable health monitors and even batteries.The scientists were able to create electrically-conducting liquid emulsions that are the lowest-loading graphene networks ever reported – just 0.001 vol%. This means that the subsequent liquid electronic technology will be both cheaper and more sustainable because it will require less graphene or other 2D nanosheets coating the droplets.