Researchers at ORA in Montreal, Canada, say they have developed the first consumer-ready loudspeaker from graphene oxide. The technology is compatible with current speaker and audio systems and could find its way into many commercial products in the not too distant future, says company co-founder Xavier Cauchy.
Graphene, a sheet of carbon just one atom thick, has unique electronic and mechanical properties that include extremely high electrical conductivity and exceptional strength. However, despite it being called the wonder material, it yet has to find commercial applications – in part because of the cost of manufacturing large areas of the material and the difficulties involved in forming it into desired shapes.
Now, researchers at ORA, which is an early-stage start-up, have used a graphene oxide-based composite material whose properties approach that of pristine graphene. The new material, dubbed grapheneQ, so-called because its low density and high stiffness allow for louder drivers that have a lower Q resonance, has been specially designed for use in acoustic transducers.
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