Jian-Nan Wang and co-authors from Jilin University in Changchun, China, achieved the properties by creating a microscopic texture on the graphene oxide’s surface using two different lasers, and creating an interference pattern that burned a tiny model on the material, resulting in iridescent appearance. The tiny grooves form ordered periodic structures, which act as diffraction gratings that split light into its basic wavelengths.

The model also causes graphene to exhibit adhesive super-hydrophobicity. When water was poured on the surface, it merged into nearly spherical droplets, which remained barely in contact although they remained on the surface even when held upside down.

The two properties combined on a single surface could have applications for microfluidic devices, and transferring small amounts of liquid in a controlled way. It is clear that graphene has an amazingly long list of unusual features.

MAGNETISM
In April 2011 Manchester researchers showed that grapheme placed on boron nitride is an idealmaterial for spintronics because the induced magnetism extends over macroscopic distances from the current path without decay. The team believed their discovery offers numerous opportunities for redesigning current spintronics devices and making new ones such as spin-based transistors.

Professor Geim said then: "The holy grail of spintronics is the conversion of electricity into magnetism or vice versa. "We offer a new mechanism, thanks to unique properties of graphene. I imagine that many venues of spintronics can benefit from this finding."

In the latest research led by (left) Dr Irina Grigorieva and Professor Sir Andre Geim taking nonmagneticgraphene and then either ‘peppering’ it with other nonmagnetic atoms like fluorine or removing some carbon atoms from the chicken wire, the empty spaces, called vacancies, and the added atoms, all turned out to be magnetic, exactly like atoms of iron.

“It is like minus multiplied by minus gives you plus”, says Dr Irina Grigorieva. 

The researchers found that, to behave as magnetic atoms, defects must be far away from each other and their concentration should be low. If many defects are 

added to graphene, they reside too close and cancel each other’s magnetism. In the case of vacancies, their high concentration makes graphene disintegrate.

Professor Geim (left) said: “The observed magnetism is tiny, and even the most magnetised graphene samples would not stick to your fridge.  However, it is important to reach clarity in what is possible for graphene and what is not. The area of magnetism in nonmagnetic materials has previously had many false positives.

"The most likely use for the phenomenon is in spintronics. Spintronics devices are pervasive, most notably they can be found in computers’ hard disks. They function due to coupling of magnetism and electric current.

“Adding this new degree of functionality can prove important for potential applications of graphene in electronics”, adds Dr Grigorieva.