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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Adding graphene to lightly cross-linked silicone polymer—the material often encountered as Silly Putty—can make the resulting composite electrically responsive to deformation. Researchers call it G-putty. Its resistance changes as it is squeezed, stretched, or otherwise deformed, enabling sensitive laboratory demonstrations. But bulk G-putty’s viscoelastic behavior also makes its response hysteretic and dependent on how quickly it is strained, so high sensitivity alone does not make it a ready-to-use sensor.
What is G-putty?
G-putty is a research composite made by combining graphene with lightly cross-linked polysilicone. The silicone is similar to the material commonly known as Silly Putty, but ordinary Silly Putty is not thereby conductive or a sensor. The reported sensing behavior comes from the graphene-containing composite, its fabrication, and an electrical circuit that reads its resistance.
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When the composite is mechanically deformed, its electrical resistance changes. That makes it possible to convert movement or pressure into an electrical signal. The material’s response, however, is more involved than a simple rule that resistance steadily rises as the material stretches.
What can graphene-augmented putty sense?
Demonstrations reported in 2016
In a 2016 paper in Science, Conor S. Boland and coauthors reported gauge factors greater than 500 and demonstrated sensing of pulse, blood pressure, and the impact associated with a small spider’s footsteps. These were demonstrations of the material’s electromechanical sensitivity—not evidence of a clinically validated blood-pressure monitor, diagnostic tool, or marketed medical device. The paper’s abstract describes the composite and its behavior; Trinity College Dublin’s 2016 account also describes the research.
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Deformation in soft tubing
A 2020 study by Marie Hébert, Jan P. Huissoon, and Carolyn L. Ren explored a silicone-based graphene/Silly Putty sensor for measuring deformation in soft tubing used to move fluids through microfluidic devices. The target was Tygon tubing, with possible application to other shapes and soft materials. The paper record lists graphene, Silly Putty, acetone, and 5 cSt silicone oil among the fabrication materials; the resistance change was read using a voltage-divider circuit. The publisher record and institutional repository record describe this work.
Why does its electrical response behave unusually?
The 2016 study reported two related effects: resistance relaxed over time after deformation, and resistivity changed nonmonotonically with strain. In other words, the electrical reading could evolve after the material was moved, and it did not simply change in one direction throughout deformation. The authors associated these behaviors with graphene nanosheets moving within the low-viscosity polymer matrix. The study abstract reports the observations and proposed explanation.
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That response matters for practical sensing. A sensor is useful not just when a small force can produce a measurable electrical change, but also when readings track deformation predictably and consistently. In bulk G-putty, the material’s extreme viscoelasticity can complicate that relationship.
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Why high sensitivity did not make bulk G-putty practical
In a 2021 paper, Daniel P. O’Driscoll and coauthors identified hysteresis and strain-rate- and frequency-dependent effects as serious drawbacks of bulk G-putty. Hysteresis means the reading can depend on the material’s deformation history, rather than only on its current shape. Rate and frequency dependence mean the response can vary with how quickly or how often the material is deformed.
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The authors put the issue plainly: “For example, while G-putty, a composite of graphene and polysiloxane, has very high electromechanical sensitivity, its extreme viscoelasticity renders it completely unsuitable for real sensors due to hysteretic and rate-/frequency-dependent effects.” The abstract describes their approach to addressing those problems.
How printed G-putty films address the limitation
Instead of using the material as a bulk mass, the 2021 study converted G-putty into an ink and printed patterned thin films on elastic substrates. In the reported design, the substrate’s mechanical effects suppressed hysteresis and removed the rate- and frequency-dependence. The authors also reported a conductivity increase of 106 in their printed thin-film configuration compared with bulk material; that result applies to their configuration, not to every graphene-putty mixture.
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The printed-film work reported applications in wearable pulse sensing and low-signal vibration sensing. It represents a different sensor form from the bulk composite: the material is processed and supported in a thin patterned layer rather than simply used as a lump of putty. The article in Small details the printing approach and reported results.
Bulk and printed G-putty compared
| Approach | Sensitivity and behavior | Reported application or form |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk G-putty | The 2016 study reported gauge factors greater than 500. Later work identified hysteresis and strain-rate- and frequency-dependent response as limitations. | Research demonstrations included pulse, blood pressure, and impact associated with a small spider’s footsteps. |
| Printed G-putty films | The 2021 study reported suppressing hysteresis and rate/frequency dependence in its substrate-supported design, and a conductivity increase of 106 compared with bulk material in that configuration. | Patterned thin films on elastic substrates; reported use cases included wearable pulse and low-signal vibration sensing. |
Is G-putty a product you can use?
The cited studies establish laboratory research materials and sensor designs, not a verified consumer product or commercially available medical device. The 2020 paper’s ingredient list is not, by itself, a complete recipe or evidence that any arbitrary graphene powder will reproduce the research results. The reported sensor also involved fabrication and an electrical readout circuit.
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