Sep 28, 2014 07:17 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Current touchscreen technology could soon be replaced by grapheme treated nanowires for a fraction of the current cost, according to a recent study.

The majority of today's touchscreen devices, such as tablets and smartphones are made using indium tin oxide (ITO) which is both expensive and inflexible. Researchers from the University of Surrey and AMBER, the materials science center based at Trinity College Dublin, found that graphene-treated nanowires could significantly reduce production costs and allow for more affordable, flexible displays.

"The growing market in devices such as wearable technology and bendable smart displays poses a challenge to manufacturers. They want to offer consumers flexible, touchscreen technology but at an affordable and realistic price. At the moment, this market is severely limited in the materials to hand, which are both very expensive to make and designed for rigid, flat devices," said Dr. Alan Dalton from the University of Surrey.

Using a simple, scalable and inexpensive method the researchers produced hybrid electrodes, the building blocks of touchscreen technology, from silver nanowires and graphene.

"Our work has cut the amount of expensive nanowires required to build such touchscreens by more than fifty times as well as simplifying the production process," Dr. Izabela Jurewicz, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "We achieved this using graphene, a material that can conduct electricity and interpret touch commands whilst still being transparent."

The graphine is seen as a real alternative to ITO displays and "could replace existing touchscreen technologies in electronic devices. Even though this material is cheaper and easier to produce, it does not compromise on performance," according to Jonathan Coleman, co-author of the study.

"We are currently working with industrial partners to implement this research into future devices and it is clear that the benefits will soon be felt by manufacturers and consumers alike," he added.

The research benefitted from funding and collaboration with M-SOLV, a touchscreen manufacturer.

The findings were published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

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