MATERIAL DIFFERENCE
inov-8 worked closely with
Graphene@Manchester in the
development of its latest products
So-called ‘wonder materials’ do
not come along very often. Maybe
every few decades a new one
hits the market and is hailed as
the answer to engineers’ prayers. From
plastics to carbon bre, composites
and nanocomposites, the pattern is
usually the same: a huge fanfare leading
to unrealistic expectations that are all
too often disappointed, causing cynical
disillusionment to set in. Then everything
settles down and, many years (even
decades) later, the rst applications start
to emerge and the material is gradually
absorbed into the mainstream.
Graphene’s entry into the public
consciousness certainly conformed to the
initial part of this pattern. Back in 2004,
when it was rst isolated at Manchester
University by Konstantin Novoselov and
Andre Geim (a process famously involving
the distinctly low-tech use of sticky tape
and pencil graphite), the possibilities of
the resulting material were universally
hailed… with good reason.
IMPRESSIVE CREDENTIALS
Graphite’s credentials are seriously
impressive. It is many times stronger
than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and
exible. It is electrically and thermally
conductive, but also transparent. It is also
the world’s rst 2D material and is one
million times smaller than the diameter
of a single human hair.
The global market for graphene-enabled
products is predicted to be worth up to
$25bn by 2027. And while current market
demand for graphene is currently only
somewhere between 30 and 40 tonnes,
by 2027 it is estimated that gure could
be as high as 23,000 tonnes.
The potential for graphene, then, is
not in dispute. However, as with all such
materials and technologies, there can
be an awfully big gap between potential
and actuality. As James Baker, CEO of
Graphene@Manchester, puts it: “Anyone
who’s interested in new products or
applications can take carbon bre as
a case study. It can take
years or even decades
to move from that
discovery through
to products and
applications
reaching the
marketplace.” However, Graphene@
Manchester exists to ensure that does
not prove the case with graphene. It
is an umbrella organisation for the
University of Manchester and its graphene
activities. Says Baker: “From an industrial
perspective, it’s a one-stop shop: from
teaching and training, undergrad and
post-grad through to PhD, and then to
knowledge transfer.”
A major new part in this particular
jigsaw has been lled in with
the opening at the end of
last year of the Graphene
Engineering Innovation
Centre (GEIC) in the
Maslar Building
Graphite’s
credentials are
seriously impressive.
It is many times stronger
than steel, yet incredibly
igteigt an eie
It is electrically and
thermally conductive,
on Manchester
University’s
campus. The
£60 million GEIC
(inevitably pronounced
‘geek’) is designed to
commercialise graphene
by working with industry
to explore how the material
but also
transparent.
can be used in their products, provide
independent testing and demonstrate the
ways in which graphene is seen to
be better than the current alternatives.
Combined with the research power
of the National Graphene Institute, also
based in the city, Manchester has vast
expertise that is now being leveraged to
realise the material’s potential.
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