Transparent graphene speakers printed with inkjets, lo-fi musical windows are on their way

Add that magical material known as graphene to the list of things you can make with inkjet printers alongside OLEDs , solar panels , and light-bending metamaterials . Scientists at the Seoul National University used printers and a technique known as vapor deposition to leave a thin film of the graphite-based conductor on sheets of PVDF (poly vinylidene fluoride). By sandwiching the the PVDF between graphene electrodes and applying a current from a sound source researchers were able to create a flat and transparent loudspeaker that could be integrated into windows or screens. Don’t expect this low-power sound source to replace your hi-fi though — since it relies on the distortion-prone piezoelectric effect, it probably won’t sound much better than the earpiece on your cellphone. Transparent graphene speakers printed with inkjets, lo-fi musical windows are on their way originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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