Samsung claims it can use graphene on larger surfaces

Samsung’s research department claims it has overcome a major obstacle to start mass production of graphene parts. The strong and thin material can thus make its entrance in wearables from the South Korean manufacturer, among other things.

Scientists from a South Korean university and Samsung’s R&D department make their discovery public in this week’s issue of science magazine. To produce larger amounts of graphene, the scientists used germanium as a buffer layer.

The invention makes it possible to produce graphene on larger surfaces without losing the unique properties of the layer of a single atom. In a single layer, graphene is a strong and flexible material that also conducts well thermally and electrically. That makes it interesting for applications in electronics.

A scientist from a competing research center in business newspaper The Wall Street Journal calls it the first demonstration of the application of graphene on a larger surface. Samsung did not comment on when or if it will use graphene in electronics, but the business paper speculates that graphene is well suited for wearables due to its properties.