A company in China claims to have invented a graphene-based e-paper technology.
Graphene is something of a wonder-material that was first successfully isolated by two University of Manchester physicists in 2004. It’s the thinnest (in fact it’s 2D) and strongest (150 times stronger than steel) material ever recorded, yet it’s also extremely flexible and conductive.
In the years following its discovery, however, scientists and companies struggled to come up with practical uses for the material, largely due to difficulties in producing and manipulating the new material.
Now those companies appear to be getting a hold on graphene. One such company, Guangzhou OED Technologies of China, claims to have created “the world’s first graphene electronic paper”.
As Xinhua reports, the unique properties of graphene will bring obvious benefits here. Graphene-based e-paper will mean stronger, lighter, and brighter displays in any ebook reader or fitness wearable that employs it.
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Another bonus will be the cost of production. With those aforementioned production issues overcome, actually making graphene e-paper should be much cheaper than current e-paper displays, which rely on rare and expensive metal indium.
The company’s graphene e-paper will go into production within a year, so look out for the first graphene e-paper products some time in mid to late-2017.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.