The material, created by a team from the University of Pittsburgh, is made up of a graphene oxide nanocomposite that contains the drug inside its scaffolding. The material itself is embedded within an electrically conductive polymer pouch. When an electrode was attached to the polymer pouch and subjected to an electric current, the material was triggered to release the drug at a rate that could be controlled based on the amount of voltage applied. 

The team also discovered that altering the size and thickness of the graphene oxide sheets allowed them to fine-tune the system according to the specific therapeutic need.