About the session
Graphene – the world’s first 2D material was isolated in Manchester in 2004. It has remarkable electronic and mechanical properties rendering it a unique multifunctional material. It has the potential to revolutionise technologies that span from electronics, energy storage and conversion, biomedical devices, sensors, membranes, coatings and composites. The success of graphene incorporation into these application areas crucially depends on the development, scale-up and optimisation of production methods. In this talk an overview of graphene’s properties, production methods and applications are presented. I will also briefly explain other non-graphene 2D materials and their current research status and trends.
The advancement of manufacturing technologies are closely related to the advancement in materials.These new techniques and new materials are currently being applied in many sectors, indeed, the UK Government has set its focus on eight great technologies that underpins UK science strengths and business capabilities. More advanced techniques are continued to be developed, in parallel with advanced, functional materials. Functional materials are materials that have specific behaviour other than its load bearing capacity. In the UK alone, the turnover of business that produce and process materials is around £170 billion per annum (EPSRC, 2014).
At this full day event, three of the areas will be discussed in detail, which are Advanced Materials and Nano-Technology, including graphene, Regenerative Medicine, and Energy Storage. The speakers will showcase the latest techniques, findings, applications and utilisation of these materials into specific sectors. Ramping up of production and technological challenges will be discussed, along with the commercialisations and regulatory constraint. With speakers with different expertise and from different industrial sectors, the event will facilitate "cross-pollination" across different sectors.
