New graphene service will accelerate UK’s ‘miracle material’ industry

A new service has been launched to help the UK to cash in on the ‘wonder material’, graphene, by providing the ‘missing link’ for industrialisation of the material.

The service is provided by the the National Graphene Institute (NGI), based at The University of Manchester, and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

Commercially, graphene comes in several forms, such as flakes in a powder or liquid, each with variation in their properties, yield, and reproducibility of the product.

Material standardisation is crucial to industry uptake but, as with all new technologies, international standards for graphene are in their infancy.

As such, manufacturers are unable to verify that the graphene they are working with has the desired properties.

The new graphene characterisation service, led by the organisations leading the standard for graphene, will allow companies to understand the properties of the material they are working with in greater detail.

By providing this service, NPL and NGI hope to accelerate the industrialisation of graphene in the UK – forging the missing link between graphene research and development, and its application in next generation products.

If the UK fails to put the building blocks in place for industrialisation of graphene, it could risk missing out on the associated economic boom.

Hailed as a ‘wonder material’, graphene is set to improve the quality of life for many across the globe.

Its potential applications include inexpensive water purification systems; greener, more efficient cars and planes; flexible phones and solar cells, and even biomedical applications such as wound healing and cancer treatments.

Even internet of things technologies are set to benefit from wider graphene use as a result of more effective sensors.

In fact, the material is so promising that the full range of its applications remain unknown – much like when GPS, a technology that is now indispensable to modern life, was developed.

Graphene was first isolated in the UK by researchers at The University of Manchester, where the NGI is based.

Early adopters of graphene technology are already seeing benefits, but in order to fulfil its massive potential, it needs to be industrialised – which will see the quality and reproducibility of the material on offer increase, due to standardisation, and the price of graphene drop, due to economies of scale.

Only by doing this can business and scientists open the door for its wider use and pave the way to the creation of new graphene-inspired applications.

Combining NPL’s expertise in test and verification of materials and the NGI’s research and development excellence will help to realise this.

By providing reliable, accurate and consistent measurement and assessment of graphene, and giving industry the information it needs to scale up the production and application of the material, this initiative will help to ensure the UK remains a world-leader in the graphene industry.

It will also help to foster graphene innovation hubs across the UK by supporting agile, forward-thinking companies like those seen in Silicon Valley, with a similarly stimulating effect on the economy.

Graham Stuart, Minister for Investment, said: “Graphene is a revolutionary product that can make internet connections faster, filter salt water and make phone screens unbreakable, and is clearly a prime example of the innovative ability of British companies to change the landscape of manufacturing on a global scale.

“As an international economic department, the Department for International Trade is promoting the very best of British expertise in advanced manufacturing.

“By making an unprecedented commitment to R&D, we will guarantee that British companies are at the forefront of manufacturing and design for years to come, creating global demand as well as British jobs and prosperity.”

James Baker, chief executive of Graphene@Manchester, The University of Manchester added: “In order for industry to benefit directly from the opportunities of incorporating graphene into new technologies, businesses need to have confidence in the material they are dealing with.

“This new nationally run service will enable an accurate understanding of graphene which is still just 14 years young.

“New materials always have a hurdle of quality production, repeatability and functionalisation to overcome.

“The breadth of expertise and understanding at the National Graphene Institute, in tandem with the National Physical Laboratory’s capability offering accurate material assessment, will be critical to accelerate commercialisation of products and applications.”