Consortium wins graphene research funding

The University of Liverpool's Stephenson Institute is part of one of the successful research projects to receive funding to enhance the 'manufacturability' of graphene, one of the thinnest, strongest and most conductive materials known to man. The consortium between the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester has been awarded a five year, £1.9m grant from the EPSRC, to explore the potential use of graphene within supercapacitors and batteries for energy storage applications. Graphene has the potential to deliver lucrative technological breakthroughs in areas ranging from electronics to energy generation and tele. The so-called "super-material” is an atom-thick sheet of carbon molecules, arranged in a honeycomb lattice. It has unmatched electronic and physical properties - it can conduct electricity a million times faster than copper and is more transparent to visible light than any other known conductor. It is also stronger and more stretchable than other conductors. Research at Liverpool will be led by Hardwick from the Department of Chemistry , and will focus on integrating graphene into batteries to improve their working life and power delivery.