Exeter - A new technique, using the carbon based material graphene, should mean that fold-away electronics are a step closer to being a reality.

The new material has been dubbed GraphExeter. Like graphene it is lightweight, strong, transparent and a good conductor of electricity. It differs from graphene in terms of not being composed of ‘pure’ graphene molecules.

GraphExeter was created by placing molecules of ferric chloride tightly between two graphene layers produces a new system that is more than a thousand times a better conductor of electricity than graphene.

The focus of the application is with large, flat and flexible lighting. The main advantage is that the material is capable of high luminosity, beating comparable products by 50 percent greater brightness. This should aid the next generation of flexible screens. One limitation with the current developments in flexible screens is that the brightness that can be achieved decreases as the screen becomes larger. GraphExeter overcomes this.

Moreover, the lights are not only brighter, they are very resilient and they can be folded multiple, times without loss of functionality.

Further details are revealed in this University of Exeter video:

By flexible screens this means screens and devices that can be folded away when they are not needed, making them more portable. Applications include televisions, smartphones, and a host of wearable electronic devices. On hearing the news, Science magazine (@scienmag) tweeted: "GraphExeter illuminates bright new future for flexible lighting devices."

Commenting on the study, lead scientist Dr. Saverio Russo told Controlled Environments magazine: “This exciting development shows there is a bright future for the use of GraphExeter in transforming flexible lighting on a mass scale, and could help revolutionize the electronics industry.”

The new method was devised at the University of Exeter. The research has been published in the journal ACS Materials and Interfaces. The research paper is titled “Homogeneously bright, flexible and foldable lighting devices with functionalised graphene electrodes.”