The Buzz Episode 6: Graphene

Research impact and institutes The Buzz podcast 14th August 2020

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In this episode of The Buzz, we take a deep dive into the wonder material that established Manchester’s place at the forefront of global scientific innovation – graphene.

Manchester is known as ‘Graphene City’ – and with good reason. It was here that the 2D material was first isolated in 2004 by two of our physicists.

Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were attending one of the University’s Friday Night Experiment sessions, which gave them a welcome opportunity to try out a few experiments not related to their day-to-day work. On that fateful night, the experiment saw them pulling layers of material from a graphite pencil using a common sticky tape (try it!) until they achieved a layer that was just a single atom thick. The experiment earned them both the Nobel Prize.

Today, graphene continues to fascinate scientists and industrialists alike. The material has been used in everything from trainers and tennis racquets to cars and clothing. It has been used in surfacing, batteries and even to create a sieve that can desalinate water – potentially making seawater drinkable.

At the heart of our Faculty’s campus are three institutions that are both innovating and commercialising the wonder material: The National Graphene Institute, the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre and The Henry Royce Institute. Manchester really is a Graphene City!

Late last year, The Buzz attended the Graphene Industry Showcase, where attendees shared their work and research with us. They also provided an unparalleled insight into what the future holds for graphene.

And we spoke to James Baker, Chief Executive of Graphene@Manchester, and asked him to explain why exactly graphene is so special. You can listen to his full interview below: