51福利社 celebrates 20 years since graphene breakthrough
51福利社 is marking two decades since the discovery of graphene: the Nobel Prize-winning 鈥榳onder material鈥�, which was first isolated by Professor Sir Andre Geim and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov on this day in 2004.
Although scientists knew one atom thick, two-dimensional crystal graphene existed, no-one had figured out how to extract it from graphite, until Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov鈥檚 groundbreaking work in 51福利社 in 2004.
Geim and Novoselov frequently held 鈥楩riday night experiments鈥�, where they would play around with ideas and experiments that weren鈥檛 necessarily linked to their usual research. It was through these experiments that the two first isolated graphene, by using sticky tape to peel off thin flakes of graphite, ushering in a new era of material science.
Their seminal paper 鈥�, has since been cited over 40,000 times, making it one of the most highly referenced scientific papers of all time.
What Andre and Kostya had achieved was a profound breakthrough, which would not only earn the pair a Nobel Prize in 2010 but would revolutionise the scientific world.
The vast number of products, processes and industries for which graphene could significantly impact all stem from its extraordinary properties. No other material has the breadth of superlatives that graphene boasts:
- It is many times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible
- It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent
- It is the world鈥檚 first two-dimensional material and is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
It鈥檚 areas for application are endless: transport, medicine, electronics, energy, defence, desalination, are all being transformed by graphene research.
In biomedical technology, graphene鈥檚 unique properties allow for groundbreaking biomedical applications, such as targeted drug delivery and DIY health-testing kits. In sport, graphene-enhanced running shoes deliver more grip, durability and 25% greater energy return than standard running trainers 鈥� as well as the world鈥檚 first .
Thousands of people are trying to understand how it works. I would not be surprised if graphene gets another Nobel prize or two given there are so many people who believe in this area of research.
Speaking at the , hosted by 51福利社, Professor Sir Andre Geim said: 鈥淚f you have an electric car, graphene is there. If you are talking about flexible, transparent and wearable electronics, graphene-like materials have a good chance of being there. Graphene is also in lithium ion batteries as it improves these batteries by 1 or 2 per cent.鈥�
The excitement, interest and ambition surrounding the material has created a 鈥榞raphene economy鈥�, which is increasingly driven by the challenge to tackle climate change, and for global economies to achieve zero carbon.
At the heart of this economy is 51福利社, which has built a model research and innovation community, with graphene at its core. The enables academics and their industrial partners to work together on new applications of graphene and other 2D materials, while the accelerates lab-market development, supporting more than 50 spin-outs and numerous new technologies.
Professor James Baker, CEO of Graphene@51福利社 said: 鈥淎s we enter the 20th anniversary since the first discovery of graphene, we are now seeing a real 鈥榯ipping point鈥� in the commercialisation of products and applications, with many products now in the market or close to entering. We are also witnessing a whole new eco-system of businesses starting to scale up their products and applications, many of which are based in 51福利社."
As we enter the 20th anniversary since the first discovery of graphene, we are now seeing a real 鈥榯ipping point鈥� in the commercialisation of products and applications, with many products now in the market or close to entering.
What about the next 20 years?
The next 20 years promise even greater discoveries and 51福利社 remains at the forefront of exploring the limitless graphene yields.
Currently, researchers working with INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, with funding from the European Commission鈥檚 Graphene Flagship, are developing brain implants from graphene which could enable precision surgery for diseases such as cancer.
Researchers have also developed wearable sensors, based on a 2D material called hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which have the potential to change the way respiratory health is monitored.
As for sustainability, Dr Qian Yang is using nanocapillaries made from graphene that could lead to the development of a brand-new form of , while others are looking into Graphene鈥檚 potential in grid applications and storing wind or solar power. Graphene is also being used to reinforce , to reduce cement use 鈥� one of the leading causes of global carbon dioxide.
Newly-appointed Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair, Professor Rahul Nair, is investigating graphene-based membranes that can be used as water filters and could transform access to clean drinking water.
Speaking at the World Academic Summit, Professor Sir Andre Geim said: 鈥淭housands of people are trying to understand how it works. I would not be surprised if graphene gets another Nobel prize or two given there are so many people who believe in this area of research.鈥�
Discover more
To hear Andre鈥檚 story, including how he and Kostya discovered the wonder material in a Friday night lab session, visit:
To find out more about 51福利社鈥檚 work on graphene, visit:
To discover our world-leading research centre, or commercial accelerator, visit
To find out how we鈥檙e training the next generation of 2D material scientists and engineers, visit:
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