• Home
  • Trends
  • Company News
  • Product News
  • Fashion
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • January 15, 2021

Wearable Tech Insider

The Inside Word on Wearables and Wearable Technology

You are here: Home / Research / The Worm Has Turned: Graphene into Silk

The Worm Has Turned: Graphene into Silk

October 18, 2016 By Pugi Kohl

Silkworms
Silkworms

Graphene might a 21st century’s philosopher’s stone: flexible, strong, fashionable material that’s also conductive; the goal is fabric that can support technology without being clunky about it.

Scientists at Beijing’s Tsinghua University  have come up with the idea of combining silk with graphene—conductive carbon one-atom thick — by feeding it to silkworms.

It works, mostly. Scientists fed the silkworms—actually larvae of the silk moth—mulberry leaves that had been sprayed with solutions of 0.2% carbon nanotubes or graphene. Nature took her usual course, and when the silk was harvested from the cocoons, it contained graphene and was stronger than normal silk. The silkworms excreted some of the graphene—presumably some research assistant had the job of checking that—so some tweaking is in the works.

Last updated by Pugi Kohl on February 1, 2017.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Google
  • Email

Related

Filed Under: Fashion, General News, Other, Research Tagged With: graphene, silk, Tsinghua University

← Homeland Security Backs Wearables for First Responders Samsung Ships New SoC for Wearables →

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe now to the Wearable Tech Insider's weekly news blast. You'll get links to the top half-dozen stories in the world of wearable tech, optimized for quick reading. It's the best way to read the Wearable Tech Insider; it's free and you can change your mind any time. And, of course, we'll never sell your name or e-mail address...

Search This Site

Recent Posts

New Use Case for Apple Watch: Red Sox Stealing Signs

Fossil Debuts Two Android Wear Smartwatches

Garmin Shows Three New Fitness Bands at IFA

Fitbit Ionic: Minimal Acceptable Product?

Intel (Finally) Ditches Wearables for AR

Don’t Believe Everything You Read: Wearables Are Far From Dead

Eyes F.lashing Before Your Life

Smarty Pants: Nadi X Yoga Leggings

Rings: How Smart Can They Be?

Upskill Closes Series B Financing, But Won’t Say How Much

Stories from Health Tech Insider

  • Nighttime Breathing Rate Predicts Heart Attack Risk for Pacemaker Patients
  • New Handheld Device Provides Early Bedsore Detection [video]
  • CES 2021: New Low-Cost Smart Watch Packs Fitness Features
  • CES 2021: Widex Moment is Best of Innovation Award Honoree
  • Remote Patient Monitoring Better Than In-Person Rehab
  • At-Home Device Diagnoses Sleep Apnea in Atrial Fibrillation Patients [VIDEO]

Topics

2013 android android wear apple apple watch apx labs basis battery CES ces2016 CES2017 epson finance fitbit fitness fossil fuelband garmin gear glass google healthkit intel iWatch jawbone LG market research microsoft misfit MWC15 nfc nike omate omsignal pebble recon samsung smartwatch sony sports tizen vuzix withings wristware wristwear

Sign up for Wearable Tech Insider

First name
Last name
* = required field

powered by MailChimp!

Subscribe now to the Wearable Tech Insider's weekly news blast. You'll get links to the top half-dozen stories in the world of wearable tech, optimized for quick reading. It's the best way to read the Wearable Tech Insider; it's free and you can change your mind any time. And, of course, we'll never sell your name or e-mail address...

Made in New York
Wearable Tech Insider is proud to be Made in NY.

All text © 2015 Center Ring Media

Privacy Policy

Center Ring Media Sites

Wearable Tech Insider
Seniortech Insider
Health Tech Insider

Copyright 2016 Center Ring Media | Site by JRMC

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.