Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre - GEIC Opening Event, 2018

The GEIC and graphene tipping point: The James Baker Interview

James Baker is the CEO of Graphene@Manchester, the organisation that includes the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (GEIC – pronounced like ‘geek’) both are based at The University of Manchester in the UK.

James Baker, CEO Graphene@Manchester

Image courtesy of the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre

James and I are meeting at the new GEIC. It is habitable, but not officially opened yet and still being fitted out with world class laboratory and production facilities for making and testing graphene products. There is a sense of excitement and purpose around this development and it feels energising.

The GEIC is housed in the Masdar building; a purpose built multi-million pound development that will open in December. It contains the latest state of the art equipment and will be a unique facility to lead the commercialisation of graphene and other 2D materials. The leadership is different too. (continued in Special Edition publication)

A human enzyme can biodegrade graphene https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/gf-ahe082318.php

Content Summary

Myeloperoxidase (an enzyme naturally found in our lungs) can biodegrade pristine graphene.

This is work done by Graphene Flagship partners in CNRS, University of Strasbourg (France), Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain).

Among other projects, the Graphene Flagship designs flexible biomedical electronic devices that will interface with the human body. Such applications require graphene to be biodegradable, so it can be expelled from the body.

Relevance:

This is important because it plays to the health and safety aspect of graphene.

Graphene does not appear to be toxic, the only area of caution noted was breathing in the dust. This work shows that the human body’s defences can deal with graphene.

More work is needed to make sure that the degradation products of graphene in the body don’t cause further problems.

Overall though this is a positive finding.

Graphene skinned plane unveiled at Farnborough Air Show www.uclan.ac.uk/news/another-aerospace-world-first.php

Content Summary

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) has made the graphene composite skin for a three and a half metre wide sized drone aircraft.

• The graphene was provided by Haydale

• Support from the University of Manchester

• This is a collaborative effort on many levels

Relevance:

This demonstrator proves the ability of UCLAN to incorporate graphene in carbon fibre composite resin and make a viable product.

It is an eye-catching demonstrator and also attracted a lot of attention when displayed at the Advanced Engineering show in the UK in October.