US Patent 8044472 - Graphene pressure sensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8044472.html

The application of stress to plural layers of graphene alters the semiconductor bandgap which changes the conductivity of the graphene layers. This patent from Kulite Semiconductor Products teaches using this property to construct a graphene-based pressure sensor. Claim 1 reads:

1. A transducer comprising:

a substrate a plurality of graphene semiconductive structures located entirely on a surface of the substrate, each of the graphene semiconductive structures being supported along its entire length by the substrate, wherein an electrical property of the graphene semiconductive structures changes with an applied force;

one or more metal pads securing at least one of the graphene semiconductive structures to the substrate; and

a circuit coupled to at least some of the graphene semiconductive structures to provide an output responsive to the change in the electrical property, the output being indicative of the applied force.