UK nano research team develops super-strong condom materials

Manchester, UK – Adding just 0.1 percent of graphene can increase both the strength and elasticity of film-rubber products by up to 50 percent, researchers at the University of Manchester have found.

The findings are based on work by a team, led by Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan, under a project that emerged from a call by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop better condoms.

Using different types of graphene, said a university press release, the researcher found that the resulting composite material could be stretched to a much higher degree and with greater force before it broke.

Indeed, adding just one tenth of one percent of graphene was all it took to make the rubber 50 percent stronger, added the university  – referencing an article published in Carbon.

The study focused on a form of the use of graphene oxide, which unlike graphene is stable as a dispersion in water, said Dr Maria Iliut, a research associate on the project.

“The rubber materials are also in a form that is stable in water, allowing us to combine them before forming thin films [using] dip moulding,” reported Iliut.

“Because these films are so thin, we need a strengthening filler which is also very thin. Fortunately, graphene is both the thinnest and strongest material we know of,” she explained.

Dr Vijayaraghavan added: “Our thinking was that if we could make the rubber used in condoms stronger and stretchier, then you could use that to make even thinner condoms which would feel better without breaking.

“Similar arguments can be made for using this material to make better gloves, sportswear, medical devices and so on. We are seeing considerable industrial interest in this area and we hope more companies will want to get involved in the commercial opportunities this research could create.”