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Activity (Hands-On)Grades 9 - 11

Nanotechnology in Action: Organic Electronics

This activity focuses on the use of graphene in organic fibers, and their applications in organic electronics, e-textiles and wearable technologies. Students learn about the properties of graphene—a unique form of carbon—and how graphene-based fibers are fabricated, how to measure resistance, how to calculate resistivity, and how a material changes its electrical properties. Students also learn about the importance of defining design parameters, which is an important concept in the engineering design process. Students create graphite-based fibers using sodium alginate as the medium and a calcium coagulation bath, which is similar to the way in which graphene-based fibers are created in engineering research laboratories. Students then determine the factors that contribute to resistivity and vary these parameters to optimize fiber resistivity.

The photograph depicts worm-like, dark gray strings on a table, with multimeter prongs positioned to measure the resistance between prong ends.Resistance is measured across a section of the graphite-laden fibers.

In order to design products for commercial use, engineers must be able to identify design parameters that influence the performance of their products. Like engineers, students use knowledge of resistivity and material properties to develop a procedure for producing organic fibers for future applications in organic electronics. Students will optimize their design of conductive fibers for resistivity, within constraints for length and diameter.

After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Describe how analytical mathematical models like the equation for resistivity are used by engineers to predict the performance of conductive fibers and materials.
  • Be able to describe which parameters influence the resistivity of a material.
  • Fabricate graphene-based organic conductive fibers.
  • Calculate the resistivity of a material. 
  • Describe how the mechanical and electrical properties of graphene compare to traditional engineering materials like steel and what makes materials like graphene unique.
  • List future applications of conductive fibers.

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