Graphene has been called a “magical” material that may hold the key to better electronic gadgets, both when it comes to device durability but also electrical abilities, as various research teams are figuring new ways to put the astonishing material to good use. Reports have so far detailed longer-lasting batteries based on graphene, significantly improved wireless data speeds using antennas made of the material, while some people are interested in using it for better sound, but it looks like graphene can also be used to build flexible displays.

Researchers from the Cambridge Graphene Center and Plastic Logic managed to build the first such product, a flexible display that could equip a variety of gadgets in the future.

“The new prototype is an active matrix electrophoretic display, similar to the screens used in today’s e-readers, except it is made of flexible plastic instead of glass. In contrast to conventional displays, the pixel electronics, or backplane, of this display includes a solution-processed graphene electrode, which replaces the sputtered metal electrode layer within Plastic Logic’s conventional devices, bringing product and process benefits,” a University of Cambridge report says.

Even so, it’s not clear when such displays will be used or what the first devices to include flexible displays based on graphene will be launched, as research into this wonder material continues.

A video showing this display in action follows below, while the detailed report explaining some of the tech behind such graphene flexible displays is available at the source link.