Graphene sensors: introduction and market status
What is a sensor?
A sensor is a device that detects events that occur in the physical environment (like light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure, and more), and responds with an output, usually an electrical, mechanical or optical signal. The household mercury thermometer is a simple example of a sensor - it detects temperature and reacts with a measurable expansion of liquid. Sensors are everywhere - they can be found in everyday applications like touch-sensitive elevator buttons and lamp dimmer surfaces that respond to touch, but there are also many kinds of sensors that go unnoticed by most - like sensors that are used in medicine, robotics, aerospace and more.
Traditional kinds of sensors include temperature, pressure (thermistors, thermocouples, and more), moisture, flow (electromagnetic, positional displacement and more), movement and proximity (capacitive, photoelectric, ultrasonic and more), though innumerable other versions exist. sensors are divided into two groups: active and passive sensors. Active sensors (such as photoconductive cells or light detection sensors) require a power supply while passive ones (radiometers, film photography) do not.
Where can sensors be found?
Sensors are used in numerous applications, and can roughly be arranged in groups by forms of use:
- Accelerometers: Micro Electro Mechanical technology based sensors, used mainly in mobile devices, medicine for patient monitoring (like pacemakers) and vehicular systems.
- Biosensors: electrochemical technology based sensors, used for food and water testing, medical devices, fitness tracker and wristbands (that measure, for example, blood oxygen levels and heart rate) and military uses (biological warfare and more).
- Image sensors: CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) based sensors, used in consumer electronics, biometrics, traffic and security surveillance and PC imaging.
- Motion Detectors: sensors which can be Infrared, Ultrasonic or Microwave/Radar technology. They are used in video games, security detection and light activation.
What is graphene?
Graphene is a two-dimensional material made of carbon atoms, often dubbed miracle material for its outstanding characteristics. It is 200 times stronger than steel at one atom thick, as well as the world's most conductive material. It is so dense that the smallest atom of Helium cannot pass through it, but is also lightweight and transparent. Since its isolation in 2004, researchers and companies alike are fervently studying graphene, which is set to revolutionize various markets and produce improved processes, better performing components and new products.
Graphene and sensors
Graphene and sensors are a natural combination, as graphene's large surface-to-volume ratio, unique optical properties, excellent electrical conductivity, high carrier mobility and density, high thermal conductivity and many other attributes can be greatly beneficial for sensor functions. The large surface area of graphene is able to enhance the surface loading of desired biomolecules, and excellent conductivity and small band gap can be beneficial for conducting electrons between biomolecules and the electrode surface.
Graphene is thought to become especially widespread in biosensors and diagnostics. The large surface area of graphene can enhance the surface loading of desired biomolecules, and excellent conductivity and small band gap can be beneficial for conducting electrons between biomolecules and the electrode surface. Biosensors can be used, among other things, for the detection of a range of analytes like glucose, glutamate, cholesterol, hemoglobin and more. Graphene also has significant potential for enabling the development of electrochemical biosensors, based on direct electron transfer between the enzyme and the electrode surface.
Graphene will enable sensors that are smaller and lighter - providing endless design possibilities. They will also be more sensitive and able to detect smaller changes in matter, work more quickly and eventually even be less expensive than traditional sensors. Some graphene-based sensor designs contain a Field Effect Transistor (FET) with a graphene channel. Upon detection of the targeted analyte's binding, the current through the transistor changes, which sends a signal that can be analyzed to determine several variables.
Graphene-based nanoelectronic devices have also been researched for use in DNA sensors (for detecting nucleobases and nucleotides), Gas sensors (for detection of different gases), PH sensors, environmental contamination sensors, strain and pressure sensors, and more.
Further reading
- Introduction to graphene
- Graphene company database
- How to invest in the graphene revolution
- The Graphene Handbook, our very own guide to the graphene market
- Graphene DNA Sequencing
Hawkeye Bio granted U.S patent for graphene biosensor platform
Hawkeye Bio has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted U.S. Patent No. 12,461,102 titled “Pristine Graphene Based Biosensor for Biomarker Detection and Related Core Particles, Materials Compositions Methods and Systems.” The patent protects Hawkeye Bio’s proprietary graphene-based biosensor platform technology designed to detect biological molecules through highly sensitive optical signaling mechanisms.
The patented technology utilizes pristine graphene particles functionalized with optical reporter systems that respond to the presence of specific protease biomarkers. When exposed to target biological molecules, the biosensors convert biochemical interactions into measurable optical signals, enabling precise detection of molecular activity associated with disease.
Vocxi Health and Forj Medical partner to miniaturize graphene-enhanced breath-based diagnostic system
Vocxi Health, a medical technology company developing graphene-enhanced breath-based diagnostics, has partnered with Forj Medical to transform its MyBreathPrint device from a desktop prototype into a compact, handheld diagnostic platform designed for real-world use.
MyBreathPrint uses graphene-based nano sensors and machine learning based algorithms to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the body in a person’s breath that correspond with specific diseases, including lung cancer, the world’s leading cause of cancer death. The device’s ultra-sensitive sensors can detect compounds at parts-per-billion concentration, a thousand times more sensitive than conventional medical gas sensors. Combined with AI/ML based algorithm, the system delivers accurate, near-instant results in seconds, potentially enabling widespread screening in clinics, and ultimately, in homes.
Graphene-liquid metal sensors unlock 3D force detection for robots
A University of Cambridge research team has developed a triaxial force microsensor array using graphene-liquid metal composites, enabling robots to sense force magnitude, direction, slip, and surface roughness at scales rivaling human fingertips. This achievement addresses key limitations in tactile sensing for neuroprosthetics, human-machine interfaces, and dexterous robotics by decoupling normal and tangential forces through multiscale pyramid microstructures.
The device employs anisotropic porous conductive elastomers (APEs) with a hybrid filler of spiky nickel particles, few-layer graphene nanosheets, and eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) liquid metal microdroplets. These form a solid-liquid conductive network where LM droplets act as deformable hubs bridged by graphene sheets, cured under magnetic fields to align fillers directionally within an interconnected microporous structure. Pyramid-shaped units, as small as 200 μm across, mimic human epidermal microstructures to concentrate stress at tips, boosting sensitivity while spanning wide force ranges.
Grapheal secures EIC support
The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected 61 start-ups and SMEs to receive funding following its latest evaluation round. The companies were chosen for their transformative technologies and strong commercial promise, securing a mix of grant and equity support.
Among these companies is Grapheal - for its project PFAST) - fast, field-deployable graphene sensors for ultra-trace, real-time PFAS detection.
INBRAIN’s “rice‑sized” graphene BCI chip marks new phase in Merck collaboration
INBRAIN Neuroelectronics has announced a step forward in its long‑running collaboration with Merck, highlighting a new bidirectional, “rice‑sized” graphene BCI chip and a fresh push toward commercialization, including a speech‑decoding clinical trial.
The collaboration between INBRAIN and Merck was first established in 2021, with the goal of developing graphene‑based bioelectronic therapies for serious chronic diseases. This framework is now shifting from high‑level R&D into product‑oriented development, with Merck signaling commercialization intent around INBRAIN’s BCI‑Tx platform and its latest device iteration.
Graphene-based wearable intelligent throat enables stroke patients to speak
An international team of researchers - including members from the University of Cambridge, Beihang University, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, and other institutions - has developed a wearable, comfortable and washable device called Revoice that could help people regain the ability to communicate naturally and fluently following a stroke, without the need for invasive brain implants.
Schematic of a textile-based strain-sensing choker. Two channels are aligned with the carotid artery and center of throat, respectively. Each channel consists of a two-terminal crack-based resistive strain sensor surrounded by a polyurethane acrylate (PUA) stress isolation layer. The top right SEM image shows the spontaneous ordered crack structure of the graphene coating. Image from: Nature Communications
Wearable silent speech systems hold significant potential for restoring communication in patients with speech impairments, but seamless, coherent speech has so far remained elusive and clinical effectiveness unproven. The Revoice system (also referred to as an intelligent throat, IT) integrates throat muscle vibration sensing and carotid pulse monitoring with large language model (LLM) processing to support fluent, emotionally expressive communication in real time. Ultrasensitive textile strain sensors embedded in a soft choker capture high-quality signals from the neck area and feed them into a token-level decoding pipeline, enabling continuous, delay-free speech reconstruction. In tests with five stroke patients with dysarthria, the system achieved low word and sentence error rates and a marked increase in user satisfaction, suggesting a promising non-invasive route to restore more natural communication.
Monash-led team secures funding to develop graphene oxide sensor for early cancer detection
Monash Health and Monash University have received a $100,000 research grant from the Love Your Sister Foundation, through the Monash Health Foundation, to develop a graphene oxide (GO)-based biosensor for early cancer detection using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). The GO-ctDNA project is a large interdisciplinary collaboration spanning oncology, engineering, nanofabrication and structural biology across Monash Health, Monash University and national research facilities.
“This project represents a perfect convergence of engineering innovation and clinical need,” said Dr. Gwo Yaw Ho, Head of the Cancer Immunology Laboratory within the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University. “If successful, our GO-ctDNA biosensor could revolutionize early cancer diagnostics by offering a simple, non-invasive blood test that detects cancer mutations with unprecedented sensitivity, potentially even before symptoms appear.”
Graphene–perovskite hybrids achieve ultrasensitive broadband photodetection
Researchers from the University of Barcelona, Jaume I University, Slovak University of Technology and University of Valencia have realized graphene-enhanced hybrid photodetectors by integrating inkjet-printed mixed-phase CsPbBr₃/Cs₄PbBr₆ perovskite films directly onto graphene platforms. In this architecture, a high-mobility 2D graphene channel is intimately coupled to a photoconductive perovskite layer, enabling highly efficient photogating and broadband charge transport across the device.
The graphene channel serves as an ultrafast, low-noise pathway for photoinduced carriers, translating small changes in perovskite charge density into large modulations of graphene conductance. This strong photogating effect, together with the mixed-phase “raisin bread” perovskite morphology that confines and stores carriers, yields very high photoconductive gain. Furthermore, the use of chemical-vapor-deposition graphene and maskless inkjet printing allows direct perovskite deposition onto graphene without lithography on top of the 2D layer, preserving graphene quality and supporting integration on large-area and potentially flexible substrates.
Ultrasensitive X-ray detection enabled by graphene/perovskite heterostructures
Researchers from Dongguan University of Technology have developed a high-performance X-ray detector based on a graphene/perovskite heterostructure, addressing the limitations of traditional perovskite detectors that suffer from charge recombination in thick and defect-rich films.
By exploiting graphene’s exceptional carrier mobility (> 10⁴ cm²·V⁻¹·s⁻¹), the device achieves efficient charge transport and reduced non-radiative recombination at the interface with CsPbBr₃. Incorporating a MAPbCl₃ buffer layer minimizes lattice mismatch at the perovskite/Si interface, enhancing mechanical adhesion by an order of magnitude.
Graphene‑Connect 2026: talk highlights from General Graphene, NPL, Graphene Innovations Manchester, Graphenea and Graphene Valley
Graphene-Connect 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most content-rich virtual gatherings for the graphene and 2D materials community, with a program that spans manufacturing, standards, intelligent materials, energy, and next‑gen electronics. Held online on 11–12 March 2026 on the TechBlick platform and co‑curated with Graphene-Info, it offers live talks, networking, and year-round access to the full TechBlick library of over 1,500 talks. Graphene-Connect tickets start at our special early bird price of $400 (with discounts available for group passes).
Why join Graphene‑Connect 2026?
- Live, online access to a world-class agenda covering graphene materials, batteries, electronics, composites, filters, concrete, EMI shielding, anti‑corrosion and more.
- Year‑round access to all recordings of this event plus past and future TechBlick online and onsite programs, including Perovskite Connect, MicroLED Connect, Batteries RESHAPED, and Electronics RESHAPED.
- A curated platform to reconnect the global industrial value chain after a pause in dedicated graphene conferences, with start‑ups, scale‑ups, national labs and major corporates all represented.
Industrial scale & manufacturing: General Graphene
From the production side, General Graphene Corporation will present “From Lab to Line: Advancing Roll‑to‑Roll CVD Graphene Manufacturing,” highlighting how continuous CVD processes are moving graphene from pilot runs to industrially relevant throughput. This talk, led by Tuqeer Nasir, is highly relevant for anyone interested in cost, scalability and integration of CVD graphene into real products across electronics, coatings and composites.
