Graphene set to bring 3D colour holograms to life

Led by Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology and including Dr Qin Li, from the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre within Griffith University’s School of Engineering, scientists have capitalised on the properties of graphene and are confident of applications in fields such as optical data storage, information processing and imaging.

“While there is still work to be done, the prospect is of 3D images seemingly leaping out of the screens, thus promising a total immersion of real and virtual worlds without the need for cumbersome accessories such as 3D glasses,” Dr Li said in a statement.

Graphene is pure carbon and one of the thinnest, lightest and strongest materials known to humankind. A supreme conductor of electricity and heat, much has been written about its mechanical, electronic, thermal and optical properties.

“Graphene offers unprecedented prospects for developing flat displaying systems based on the intensity imitation within screens,” said Dr Li, who conducted carbon structure analysis for the research.