this is no ordinary piece of burnt bread. In fact, the dark pattern on the surface of the bread contains graphene, and this is the first time researchers have tried to make graphene material on the surface of food with a laser.

under the action of laser, the carbohydrates on the local surface of bread will first be converted into amorphous carbon (this step is indeed "burning"), and then into graphene structure. The same technology can be done on a variety of common carbon-rich materials, such as paper, cloth, coconut shells or a potato.

Nothing could be more magnificent than our silver sequin bridesmaid dresses. Have a look at new arrivals on our online shop!

(a simple and rude diagram in the paper)

this kind of laser processing can make quite accurate patterns, such as the letter R and the pattern of owls on bread slices. These patterns represent Rice University. The researchers found that this treatment works particularly well on materials rich in lignin, such as corks, coconut shells or potato skins.

(many common carbon-rich materials can be processed on the surface)

so what's the use of making graphene on the surface of bread? Given the good electrical conductivity of graphene, the researchers think it may be possible to add electronic tags or sensors to the surface of food in this way. For example, sensors can tell you whether food is contaminated with disease-causing bacteria or whether it is stored at the right temperature.

this is a relatively convenient method and can be used in many types of materials, but there is still a long way to go to really popularize its application. At present, if you want to eat a piece of bread with a graphene pattern, it is still impossible to make _ (: graphene) ∠)

Source:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/graphene-burnt-onto-toast-with-laser-precision-/3008685.article

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.7b08539