Health and safety perspectives of graphene in wearables and hybrid materials

• Published in: Journal of materials science & technology Vol. 155; pp. 10 - 32
• Main Authors: Govindaraj, Premika, Mirabedini, Azadeh, Jin, Xing, Antiohos, Dennis, Salim, Nisa, Aitchison, Phil, Parker, Jake, Fuss, Franz Konstantin, Hameed, Nishar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 20.08.2023
• Subjects: Composites; Graphene; Health and safety; Nanomaterials; Smart materials; Wearables; Wearables; Nanomaterials; Composites; Health and safety; Graphene; Smart materials
• ISSN: 1005-0302; 1941-1162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2023.01.011

•Provided three major subjects to clarify whether it is safe to wear a graphene-based wearables and products.•Assessed the health implications of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) based on the physicochemical characteristics such as size, number of layers and chemical modifications.•Summarized the possible routes of graphene incorporation in wearables and methods of graphene detachment from the wearables.•Highlighted the approaches to graphene detection and removal from the human body in the event of graphene exposure.•Assessed the health impacts and extrapolating safe protocols as a key factor in accelerating the commercial success of graphene-based wearable technologies. The growing demand for smart wearables, coupled with the omnipresence of graphene due to its array of outstanding thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties, have driven the industry-led initiatives to develop lightweight, smart, and robust graphene-based wearable technologies. The substantial research and the increase in technology readiness levels (TRLs) of graphene-based technologies have led to the adoption of graphene in many industries. Graphene-based wearables are one such technology that involves closer interaction of graphene by the end-user. Despite this, understanding the toxicological risks associated with using graphene-based wearables is still in the fundamental stage. Herein, graphene-based wearables and industrial-scale fabrication techniques for the development of graphene-based wearables are reviewed. The main goal of the review is to initially evaluate the likelihood of user exposure to graphene from the wearable device and the potential health effects. The subsequent health risks based on graphene's physicochemical characteristics are also discussed. A framework to elucidate the risk is presented in terms of crucial exposure routes, possible graphene interactions, recent exposure assessments, detection removal techniques from the human body, and risk management protocols. It is hoped that this review may aid towards establishing a reasonable practice concerning the safe integration of graphene materials into wearables and facilitate their commercialization. [Display omitted]