At just 0.335 nanometers thick, graphene is cheap to produce and can drive brighter e-reader screens.

In a major breakthrough, China has developed the world's first graphene electronic paper which will catapult the material to a new level.

The new material has been heralded as "the world's first graphene electronic paper," by Chen Yu, general manager of Guangzhou OED Technologies, which developed it in partnership with a company in Chongqing Province.

Graphene is the world's strongest and lightest known material; a single layer of graphene is only 0.335 nanometers thick, and it can conduct heat and electricity, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

It can be used to create hard or flexible graphene displays, used in electronic products such as e-readers and wearable smart devices.

Compared with traditional e-papers, graphene e-paper is more pliable and has more intensity and its high-light transmittance means optical displays will be much brighter.

In addition, graphene is derived from carbon, meaning production costs will be much lower than for traditional e-papers, which use the rare, expensive metal indium.

E-papers have been produced on a commercial scale since 2014.

Compared with liquid crystal displays, e-papers are thinner, bendable and energy efficient, meaning products are more portable.

The team's graphene e-paper will be put into production within a year.