An atom can make a difference

Korean scientists, lead by Professor Byung Hee Hong of the Graphene Research Center at Seoul National University, said the revolutionary lens coating can protect eyes from radiation, water loss, and in future should help with the integration of bionic and smart electronic applications.Though almost transparent, graphene is 200 times stronger than steel and acts as an efficient conductor of heat and electricity. It also has vast diamagnetic properties.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: Graphene is 200 times stronger than steel and acts as an efficient conductor of heat and electricity -WHO:Byung Hee Hong, Professor of the Graphene Research Center at Seoul National University}}“The electromagnetic shielding function for contact lenses is of great importance because it is known that electromagnetic waves are a potential cause of eye diseases including cataracts,” Hong told the American Chical Society.Such protections are considered a major advantage given many proposed futuristic applications are likely to be controlled by electronic devices who communicate via powered radio waves, which would expose the eye to higher levels of electromagnetic radiation.The team tested the material for electromagnetic () wave shielding by placing a graphene-coated lens and a standard contact lens on top of egg whites. The samples were then subjected to strong waves inside a microwave oven. The ones with the graphene-coated lens incurred minimal damage compared to the other sample.“We didn’t imagine that the egg whites under a graphene-coated contact lens would survive the strong electromagnetic radiation from a microwave oven,” Hong said. “It was truly surprising that an atom-thick layer can make such a dramatic difference.”Another test showed vials capped with graphene coated lenses experienced 30% less water evaporation compared with vials capped with non-graphene lenses, while a final experiment saw the team incorporate an LED into a lens.Hong is hopeful of having graphene-coated contact lenses commercially available within two years.