Lightbulb moment for graphene
The global race to commercialise graphene has moved forward with the opening of the National Graphene Institute and imminent launch of a light bulb containing the material.
The £61m National Graphene Institute (NGI) at Manchester University was officially opened on March 20, 2015 with the LED bulb set to launch later in the year.
The LED bulb – which is claimed to reduce energy use, last longer than similar products, and cost less to manufacture – is set to enter a global market estimated by Statista to be worth €64bn between 2011 to 2020.
Graphene, a two dimensional material consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure, is the thinnest, and one of the strongest, known materials that is also feted for its conductivity and heat resistance. The material was first isolated at Manchester University by Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov in 2004, earning them the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010.
“Compared to a leading LED - based on an equivalent lumen – this [bulb] will use less energy,” said Prof Colin Bailey, deputy president and deputy Vice-Chancellor of Manchester University, adding that issues around commercial confidentiality remain in play prior to the bulb’s commercial launch.
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