How science behind epidemics helped physicists develop state-of-the-art conductive paint

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/mps/internal/newsandevents?page=1&id=59575

"graphine oxide added to polymer latex spheres... upon drying graphene oxide trapped between spheres... as more graphene added sheets form percolating network within the latex film... heated to 150C to eliminate chemical defects... films become conductive; even more than if had been made entirely from graphene... analogous to the emergence of high-transmission viral variants and could allow us to use epidemic modelling to develop exciting new materials"