By Josh Perry, Editor
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The University of Manchester (U.K.) Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) has just recently launched, but prior to its kick-off the university also announced two Foundation partners, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the University of Central Lancashire Engineering Innovation Centre (EIC), to continue the mission of commercializing graphene production.

The GEIC is building partnerships to speed the commercialization of graphene for various applications. (University of Manchester)

The GEIC is part of the university’s commitment to graphene, which was discovered on the Manchester campus more than a decade ago. The GEIC is partnering with the school’s National Graphene Institute (NGI) “to accelerate graphene and 2-dimensional materials commercial prospects,” according to a report from the school.

The report explained, “The GEIC will focus on industry-led application development in partnership with academics. It will fill a critical gap in the graphene and 2D materials ecosystem by providing facilities which focus on pilot production and characterization; together with application development in composites, energy, solution formulations and coatings, electronics and membranes.”

Graphene has a number of potential applications thanks to its thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties, but it has been limited by the expense of producing the material in production-level quantities.

“NPL’s expertise in test and verification of materials has already been combined with the NGI’s research and development excellence to develop a good practice guide and definitive terminology for graphene,” the article said. “Now as a Foundation partner NPL can provide national expertise for measurements for the properties of commercially supplied graphene.”

The EIC partnership has already produced three generations of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that used graphene to reduce weight and increase impact strength and this new partnership will lead to further prototypes that demonstrate the benefits of graphene to the aerospace industry.

The end goal of these partnerships with other academic facilities as well as industry leaders is to build Graphene City, which is further explained in the video below: