Top 11 Graphene Flagship news stories of 2022

Speaking of celebrations, in 2022 the Graphene Flagship launched its ten-year anniversary celebrating a decade of 2D materials research and innovation. This celebration kicked off at Graphene Week 2022 in Munich and will culminate at Graphene Week 2023 to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden and hosted by Graphene Flagship coordinator Chalmers University of Technology.

In case you missed any of our exciting highlights over the past year, let’s bring you us to speed with the top 11 news articles of 2022.

1. Graphene Flagship’s Meganne Christian is a new ESA astronaut

On 23 November 2022, Meganne Christian, a researcher at Graphene Flagship Partner the National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems, was selected from more than 22,500 applicants from across Europe as part of the ESA astronaut reserve.

2. A playful 3D printed oasis showcases the potential of graphene-enriched cement free mortar

Graphene Flagship Partner Versarien together with award-winning designer and artist Steuart Padwick created a 3D printed installation made of 100% cement free mortar enhanced by graphene. This innovative material is strong, reduces the carbon footprint by as much as 35% when compared with concrete, and cures quickly.

3. Bridging the gap between graphene’s quality and processability

Graphene Flagship Partner Sixonia Tech GmbH’s proprietary  production technique is an electrochemical exfoliation method where few-layer graphene is derived from graphite and functionalised with the desired chemical groups at the same time. A spin-off from Graphene Flagship Partner Technische Universitaet Dresden in Germany, Sixonia has continuously doubled its turnover every year since its launch in 2017.  

4. Graphene Flagship’s success stories unleash graphene potential in different applications

A selection of nine projects that are bringing graphene to the next level.

5. Graphene-enabled solar farm shines in performance

Graphene Flagship Partners Hellenic Mediterranean University, Greece, University of Rome Tor Vergata, BeDimensional S.P.A., Greatcell Solar Italia SRL, Italian Institute of Technology and the National Research Council, Italy engineered multiple solar panels by stacking layers of perovskite, graphene and molybdenum disulfide. Perovskite solar cell technology has low (<0.4 euro/Watt peak) manufacturing costs, while the other layered materials help to extend the device’s life and power conversion efficiency, similar to state-of-the-art silicon solar cells, which can convert around 26% of Sun’s energy into electricity. 

6. Avanzare consolidates industrial leadership with a new graphene composites plant

Graphene Flagship partner Avanzare, Spain, has purchased a new plant to manufacture graphene-enabled products, composites and nanointermediates. Thanks to this recent expansion, the company will become Europe’s biggest graphene producer, levelling with international competitors.

7. The rise of Graphene Flagship scientists

Four of our inspirational investigators were among the first to join the Graphene Flagship: Xinliang Feng, Mar García- Hernández, Vincenzo Palermo and Amaia Zurutuza. They joined the project with bright ideas, a keen sense of enthusiasm and the unwavering will to succeed.

8. 2D materials for next generation computing

In a compact comment published in Nature Communications, Graphene Flagship and 2D-EPL researchers outline the most promising fields of applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials, as well as their remaining challenges towards the appearance of high-tech products.

9. Meet the MXenes: the youngest family of layered materials

We interview Thierry Ouisse about MORE-MXenes, a Graphene Flagship Partnering Project that finished recently. Their research focused on understanding an interesting family of layered materials containing rare-earths, with great potential in electronics and spintronics.

10. Flexible graphene-based neural probes improve epilepsy detection

Graphene Flagship researchers have developed a flexible neural probe made of graphene-based field-effect transistors. This device records the full spectrum of brain signals, including infraslow signals, demonstrating the ability of graphene-enabled devices to detect some signs of epilepsy with high fidelity.

11. Emberion raises €6 million for its infrared imaging business

Graphene Flagship partner Emberion offers leading-edge VIS-SWIR cameras with a broad spectral range at a competitive cost. These devices meet the needs of the rapidly expanding global machine vision and surveillance markets.

Are you excited yet? Stay tuned for more success stories as the Graphene Flagship continues its 10-year celebration.