Feature: Sensors
Figure 1: Recording electrical activity in the brain
Graphene-based sensors will enable
insightful healthcare applications By Kari Hjelt, Head of Innovation, Graphene Flagship
G
raphene is an interesting and very promising material for a range of applications. Graphene-enabled
inks, composites, coatings, packaging and interactive textiles are already making a commercial mark and, in the mid-term, graphene might prove crucial for the energy sector, with graphene-enabled batteries and supercapacitors. Another sector that stands to
benefit from graphene is healthcare, where graphene-based sensors will be used to detect and provide information on a variety of ailments, as well as everyday vital statistics.
Graphene Flagship Graphene Flagship is one of the largest research projects funded by the European Commission. Launched in 2013 with a budget of €1bn over 10 years, it represents a new form of joint coordinated research, forming Europe’s biggest-ever research initiative. Te Flagship is tasked with bringing together academic and industrial researchers to take graphene from academic laboratories into European society, thus generating new opportunities, economic growth and new jobs. Bringing together almost 150 partners
from 23 countries, Graphene Flagship has created the perfect ground for innovation. Now about to kick off its third core phase, the initiative is delivering on its promise of bringing graphene and
40 November/December 2020
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
related layered materials from research to commercialisation, including several healthcare applications. Among the notable health-related
prototypes from Graphene Flagship is a graphene-based implant that records the brain’s electrical activity at extremely low frequencies. By detecting these signals over large areas, the sensor can unlock the wealth of information found below 0.1Hz, potentially leading to new treatments for brain-related diseases such as epilepsy, but also for next-generation brain-computer interfaces; see Figures 1 and 3. Te technology was developed by
Graphene Flagship partners at the Barcelona Microelectronics Institute (IMB-CNM, CSIC), the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and the
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