Graphene team lands £11 million to look at layering

20 Dec 2012

Researchers are aiming to develop a new class of materials with remarkable properties using one atom-thick substances such as graphene in a new collaborative project.

The proposal, which will involve researchers from the Universities of Manchester, Cambridge and Lancaster, has been awarded 13.4 million Euros (around £11m) to form a “Synergy Group” by the European Research Council (ERC).

It will aim to utilise two-dimensional substances, such as graphene, to engineer new types of materials which are just a few atoms thick, but nevertheless have the power to revolutionise the future development of devices such as solar cells, and flexible and transparent electronics.

The Synergy Group will aim to combine the properties of graphene - the thinnest material in the world, yet also one of the strongest, able to conduct electricity as efficiently as copper and outperform all other materials as a conductor of heat - with those of other, two-dimensional materials, to create an amazing range of applications and devices, among them new types of transistors, solar cells and other optoelectronic components.

The team will be part of the UK’s Graphene Global Research and Technology Hub, including the £61m National Graphene Institute, which is being developed at the University to continue its world-leading and collaborative work in the field.

Professor Kostya Novoselov said: “The award of the Synergy Grant is an exciting development. We bet on the high-risk idea that by combining the properties of several, one-atom thick materials into a single, three-dimensional heterostructure, we would create a new class of materials with predetermined properties and multiple functionalities.”

In total, 11 projects from more than 700 original applications were selected to receive ERC funding.