A method for producing bulk quantities of graphene that could be used to reinforce composites has been developed by researchers at Rice University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Further to producing sheets of graphene, the scientists also produced liquid crystals. A lead researcher on the project, James Tour, says: "If you can make liquid crystals, you can spin fibres. In liquid crystals, the individual sheets [of graphene] align themselves into domains, and having some measure of alignment allows you to flow the material through narrow openings to create fibres."
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