Monthly focus

What’s the point of graphene?

01 September 2015

Graphene is ultra-thin, flexible, electrically conductive and transparent. Credit: Shutterstock/ Artbox

Removing carbon dioxide from natural gas to reduce emissions, creating biosensors to detect molecules and enhancing night vision goggles – the potential applications of graphene seem endless.

But what are the biggest challenges in getting the one-atom-thick material out of the lab and onto the factory floor?

This September, Horizon talks to scientists who are turning graphene into membranes that can strip impurities from water, and we find out how one of the big hurdles is working out how to grade graphene.

And we hear from the scientific director of graphene-maker Graphenea, who believes that the graphene market could be extremely attractive for companies once applications start to come online.

In 2013, the EU launched the EUR 1 billion Graphene Flagship - its biggest-ever research initiative - with the goal of developing applications for graphene within a decade by bringing together researchers from academia and business.

For more information http://graphene-flagship.eu/

Harnessing the spin of electrons in graphene could one day lead to laptops with largely increased autonomy. Credit: Shutterstock/ Jean-Philippe WALLET

ict

28 September 2015

Computation without electricity?

Imagine a laptop or smartphone that uses almost no power to perform computations. It's still decades away, but it’s the logical conclusion of a technique that’s already under development using the spin of electrons in graphene.

Graphene’s applications could range from bendy phones to night-vision cameras. Photo courtesy of Dr Amaia Zurutuza

industry | interview | women in science

14 September 2015

Graphene market could be attractive once applications are ready – Dr Amaia Zurutuza

Graphene production could become a very attractive market for small- and medium-sized enterprises, according to Dr Amaia Zurutuza, scientific director of the graphene production company Graphenea, but it might take a while.

A porous graphene structure over a permeable substrate could be ideal sieves for water and gas filtration. Figure courtesy of Dr Wang Bo

industry

07 September 2015

Atom-level filtration - thanks to graphene membranes

Pure graphene is impenetrable to even the smallest atoms but with a few adjustments it is giving rise to a new generation of permeable membranes, with possible applications from water filtration to reducing power station emissions.

Before scaling up production to the first fully fledged graphene factories, researchers first need to come up with a graphene grading system. Image courtesy of Graphena

industry

01 September 2015

From bulk supply to single atom-thick, grading is graphene's next big challenge

Criteria such as the number of layers and the level of conductivity will help purchasers to know what they are buying, according to researchers who are investigating how to scale up production.

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What’s the point of graphene?