Study finds that graphene is 'invisible' to water

According to researchers, the unique properties of the thinnest material known to man, graphene, allow it to be invisible to water. Engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Rice University coated pieces of gold, copper and silicon with a single layer of graphene, and then placed a drop of water on the coated surfaces. Surprisingly, the layer of graphene proved to have virtually no impact on the manner in which water spreads on the surfaces. The findings could help inform a new generation of graphene-based flexible electronic devices. Additionally, the research suggests a new type of heat pipe that uses graphene-coated copper to cool computer chips.