Engineers create graphene components using 3D printing
15 February 2015
A team of engineers at Imperial College London has developed a method for printing miniature components from graphene, using a new graphene paste.
Graphene is thin, light, durable and flexible, and it conducts electricity, making it an extremely useful material in many industrial sectors.
One of the current challenges for engineers is to develop methods for fabricating three dimensional components made from graphene, which could pave the way for its wider use in manufacturing.
Drs Esther Garcia Tunon Blanca, Suelen Barg, Victoria Garcia Rocha and Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez in the Department of Materials at Imperial College London have developed graphene paste formulations containing flakes of chemically modified graphene and small amounts of polymers.
The team say their pastes could be used to develop a range of new components using 3D printers.
The researchers are working with Imperial Innovations to commercialise the technology and they are currently looking to collaborate with industrial partners, to find new ways of applying their graphene paste product to solve current challenges in manufacturing.
For example, one usage might be creating new pressure sensors for applications as diverse as supersensitive “skin” for robots and new health monitors for patients.
In the video above, Dr Garcia Tunon Blanca discusses graphene and the potential of their paste.
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