Graphene is a form of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It is the basic structural element of many other allotrophes of carbon, such as graphite, diamond, carbon, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes.

Graphene has unique electrical properties. Through research, it is found that making graphene into a detector for infrared thermal camera can greatly improve the clarity of infrared thermal camera and the accuracy of temperature measurement. Combining graphene with a thermoelectric material that converts temperature changes into electrical signals, the detector can detect temperature changes of tens of μK. In practical applications, the technology, which combines graphene with infrared thermal imaging, becomes a more accurate and convenient way to detect explosives and other harmful substances.

Using graphene as an infrared detector can be used as a built-in thermoelectric signal amplifier, whereas conventional infrared detectors need transistors to amplify the thermoelectric signal generated in the thermoelectric material, which can lose signals or produce noise in the process, reducing the detector's sensitivity. With graphene, thermoelectric signals can go directly into the graphene and be amplified, and the graphene's electrical conductivity can also connect the detector with an external reading circuit to ensure the detector's signal transmission efficiency as much as possible.

With a minimum resolution of 15μK, the graphene detector is the most sensitive of the current uncooled infrared detectors. This high sensitivity means that it can be used for spectral analysis to detect the narrow infrared spectrum emitted or absorbed by certain chemical functional groups, which cannot be achieved by conventional infrared detectors.

Sensitivity enhancement, also means that the infrared thermal imager can narrow detectable radiation frequency range, at the same time maintain a high image resolution, can identify a or absorb very narrow spectrum of special material, dangerous goods, such as explosive, toxic substances, so as to improve the accuracy of inspection, to ensure the safety of people's life and property.