Graphene-infused Silly Putty forms an electrical sensor that is sensitive enough to detect spider feet walking across it. Mixing graphene, or atom-thick sheets of carbon, and polysilicone, the substance found in the children’s toy Silly Putty, made it conduct electricity. Its electrical resistance was highly sensitive to pressure: Squishing the putty caused the graphene sheets within to shift and disconnect, impeding the flow of electricity.When placed on a person’s neck over the carotid artery, the putty could monitor pulse and blood pressure via changes in the material’s resistance. The putty could also detect breathing and finger motions. To illustrate just how sensitive the sensor was, scientists coaxed a small spider to walk over the putty; the sensor registered the spider’s footfalls, researchers report December 9 in Science.
Graphene a fullerene consisting of bonded carbon atoms in sheet form one atom thick.
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From a New Yorker Article
Tour’s optimism for graphene remains undimmed, and his group has been working on further inventions: superfast cell-phone chargers, ultra-clean fuel cells for cars, cheaper photovoltaic cells. “What Geim and Novoselov did was to show the world the amazingness of graphene, that it had these extraordinary electrical properties,” Tour said. “Imagine if one were God. Here, He’s given us pencils, and all these years scientists are trying to figure out some great thing, and you’re just stripping off sheets of graphene as you use your pencil. It has been before our eyes all this time!”
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6317/1257
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