曼彻斯特大学研究人员Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan 和 Dr Maria Iliut 正研究石墨烯改性橡胶材料，发现了有意思的结果。他们分别使用不中种类和不同含量的石墨烯改性天然橡胶及PU弹性体材料，制备出如避孕套形状的薄膜材料进行测试，发现只需少量的石墨烯就能大大地提高橡胶薄膜材料的强度和弹性，比如使用质量分数千分之一的石墨烯使薄膜材料弹性模量可以提高50%。
小编联想：上面的技术可以用来造石墨烯避孕套吗？因为此前有新闻报道：比尔·盖茨提供10万美元赞助款给英国曼彻斯特大学(Universityof Manchester)，以研发使用超轻传导材料石墨烯(Graphene)的避-孕-套。难道就是指上面这个研究吗？
小编看了下文献结尾：Acknowledgements：The authors acknowledge funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenge Explorations scheme and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EPSRC 。果然是比尔盖茨啊。。
微信回复“避孕套”可阅读更多精彩内容哦。
参考文献：Graphene and water-based elastomers thin-film composites by dip-moulding，Maria Iliuta, Claudio Silvaa, b, Scott Herrickc, Mark McGlothlinc, Aravind Vijayaraghavana, Carbon, Volume 106, September 2016, Pages 228-232。
摘要：
Thin-film elastomers (elastic polymers) have a number of technologically significant applications ranging from sportswear to medical devices. In this work, we demonstrate that graphene can be used to reinforce 20 micron thin elastomer films, resulting in over 50% increase in elastic modulus at a very low loading of 0.1 wt%, while also increasing the elongation to failure. This loading is below the percolation threshold for electrical conductivity. We demonstrate composites with both graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide, the reduction being undertaken in-situ or ex-situ using a biocompatible reducing agent in ascorbic acid. The ultrathin films were cast by dip moulding. The transparency of the elastomer films allows us to use optical microscopy image and confirm the uniform distribution as well as the conformation of the graphene flakes within the composite.