Pencils got another makeover in 1790, when someone discovered that you could vary the hardness of the lead by mixing powdered graphite with clay and firing (heating) it in a kiln.

The wonder material you can make in your blender First, pour some graphite powder into a blender. Add water and dishwashing liquid, and mix at high speed. Congratulations, you just made the wonder ...

An Irish-UK team poured graphite powder (used in pencil leads) into a blender, then added water and dishwashing liquid, mixing at high speed. The results are reported in the journal Nature ...