Graphene Flagship Exhibition Opens in Brussels
On Friday, 26 April 2024, the Graphene Flagship launched an exhibition celebrating the initiative's decade of success and plans for the future in the European Commission's Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) offices in Brussels. Roberto Viola, Director-General for DG CNECT delivered the keynote talk, praising the success of the project and its contribution to the European 2D materials ecosystem.
The Opening Ceremony was presided over by Graphene Flagship Director Patrik Johansson. “I think we can proudly say that we have delivered beyond expectations and given European tax-payers extremely good value for their money,” he noted. Former Graphene Flagship Director Jari Kinaret also shared his insights on the project's milestones over the past decade and headed a tour of the Graphene Pavilion. The Exhibition will be on display at the DG CNECT building through September, showcasing key applications for graphene technologies and a selection of demonstrators from graphene powders to components made from composite materials and even several consumer products.
Inge Asselberghs, technical leader for the 2D Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL), presented the four-year project's progress toward 2D materials integration for semiconductors and the challenges on the road to full commercialisation. In its last year, the 2D-EPL has achieved important project milestones. “Gradually, process integration is moving in the direction of down selecting the more industry-relevant processes with the collection of relevant datasets on repeatability, uniformity and variability,” she says.
Director Patrik Johansson closed with the promise of growth for the future of 2D materials in Europe and the continued progress of the Graphene Flagship: “Combined, we truly are part of the solution to many of the problems Europe is facing at large. We will need to use not only the hard data and scientific and technological advances that we have gathered together, but perhaps even more importantly, the personal interactions that have created trust and a playground for cross-fertilisation of ideas to forge the future of 2D materials innovation.”