Scientists Discover a Chemical Free Solution to Mosquito Bites

A new study conducted by researchers at Brown University has discovered a chemical-free solution to mosquito bites. The key is graphene.

Graphene is a highly flexible nanomaterial that has received a lot of attention for its potential uses in everything from solar cells to tennis rackets. The research team has discovered that graphene can also work as an excellent mosquito repellent.

Mosquito Repellant

The study shows that graphene lined clothing not only works as an effective physical barrier against mosquito bites, it also changes their behavior. Graphene-based clothing can block the chemical signals that draw mosquitos towards you.

For the study, the volunteers had their arms covered in either graphene oxide films covered by cheesecloth or just cheesecloth.

The participants’ arms were exposed to a small enclosure of disease-free mosquitos. The participants with graphene on their arms did not receive a single bite.

Brown Ph.D. student Cintia Castillho who was the study’s lead author said:

With the graphene, the mosquitoes weren’t even landing on the skin patch — they just didn’t seem to care. We had assumed that graphene would be a physical barrier to biting, through puncture resistance, but when we saw these experiments we started to think that it was also a chemical barrier that prevents mosquitoes from sensing that someone is there.

Stay Away from Water

Unfortunately, graphene becomes ineffective when it gets wet. When the graphene was exposed to sweat, mosquitos flocked to the volunteer’s arm the same way they would on bare skin. But when the researchers used graphene with reduced oxygen content (rGO), it was effective in both dry and wet conditions.

The scientists say that the next step would be to mechanically stabilize the graphene so it remains effective when wet.

If you’re curious to see how this new tech works, you won’t have to wait long as manufacturers are already adding graphene to wearables and electronics such as jackets, battery packs and more.

Via Brown