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COVID catalyst: how graphene can lead the global recovery

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COVID CATALYST: HOW GRAPHENE CAN LEAD THE GLOBAL RECOVERY

Applications Collaborations Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre 8th June 2021



As the CogX festival of AI and transformational technology runs from 14-16 June
2021, James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester, explains how innovation in
advanced materials has the potential to support social, economic and
technological opportunities to help achieve a sustainable recovery following the
impact of COVID-19. 

Innovation in advanced materials offers the disruptive potential to transform
the way we build our future cities, as well as the transport and infrastructure
systems that connect them.

Alongside its health impact, the COVID-19 pandemic has upturned the global
economy, with the International Monetary Fund estimating it could cost as much
as US$28 trillion in lost output. So governments around the world are being
urged to use this disruptive period as a catalyst and align their recovery
efforts with sustainable development initiatives.


GDP BOOST

In fact, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has estimated that if
we doubled annual global energy transition investments to US$2 trillion over the
next three years it would boost global GDP by 1% (roughly $300-400 billion).

I am convinced that some of this investment should be put into innovation around
advanced materials so we can literally build back better. At the same time we
can look to take up global opportunities and work with our international
partners, just as Graphene@Manchester is working with companies such as
Masdar in the United Arab Emirates to reimagine infrastructure for the future.

With COVID-19 now acting as a catalyst, a number of partners at the Graphene
Engineering Innovation Centre, the flagship graphene innovation accelerator
based at The University of Manchester, are already conducting exciting
experiments in applying graphene to concrete and road surfaces to create
composites with greatly improved performance capabilities and, as result,
reducing their respective carbon footprints throughout the supply chain.

This will be of great interest to the Middle East and Africa, where ambitious
capital investments continue to drive the construction and infrastructure
sectors. The use of graphene in concrete, for example, can make this building
material stronger, more water-resistant and eco-friendly – and it is estimated
that around 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year could be saved by using
graphene-enhanced concrete in these regions.

Another graphene application that could have a huge impact is the development of
advanced water filtration and much more efficient and effective desalination
systems. This improved type of membrane infrastructure could supply the fresh
water that is much needed by urban communities already feeling the impact of
global warming.


‘SMART’ INFRASTRUCTURE

The idea of improving the sustainability of materials for buildings and
infrastructure is clearly going to be a potential game-changer – but another
very interesting area is how we can use the benefits of advanced materials to
support cities to become even smarter.

So-called ‘smart cities’ are seen as a way to make our urban environments much
more efficient and greener through the adoption of digital technologies that
can, for example, better integrate and manage our utility and energy systems.

However, what if some of this technology was embedded directly into the
materials that went into our buildings and infrastructure? The exciting thing
about graphene and the wider family of 2D materials – the endless combination of
ultra-thin layers to develop brand new ‘designer materials’ that collectively I
call the ‘graphenes’ – is their extraordinary multifunctional capability. Such
materials would be ideal to develop a new generation of smart infrastructure.

As an example, the GEIC is currently working on a number of projects with
Highways England, the government company responsible for much of the nation’s
major road network, and Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy firm
for natural and built assets.



 

We are supporting these partners in addressing the challenges around
construction and the road network. An example might be when electric circuitry
needs to be applied to the network and could be laid at the same time as the
highway, for example, as an integral part of the structure.

This is still an early-stage project and will require a lot of new thinking –
the solution could be within the bitumen or a surface marker, such as the road
line. But what if we could have this multifunctional capability used across all
the infrastructure and buildings that make up a town or city? It would transform
connectivity and make the very fabric of our built environments responsive and
intuitive to our daily needs.

So, we can start to imagine charging points that are embedded across our road
network – and every time an electric car comes to a stop at traffic lights or
rests in a parking space it can be charged in situ. If the vehicles of the
future were using hybrid energy storage – ie a battery powertrain with a
graphene-enhanced supercapacitor unit – then they could be rapidly charged as
their drivers happily go about town. And those batteries and supercapacitors
would, of course, feature new materials that enable them to operate far more
effectively compared to the energy storage devices we are obliged to use today.


BUILDING A GREENER FUTURE

Similar advances could be made with sensor technology, which will also be highly
critical if cities are to achieve the required connectivity levels needed to
become smarter, more efficient and ultimately greener.

Graphene and advanced materials therefore have a huge role to play in building a
better and greener future. With the call for new investment in green technology,
I believe we should be thinking of advanced materials as among the most
important underpinning technologies to revitalise our battered economies and,
ultimately, deliver better, more sustainably future-proofed lives for us all.

 * Visit our virtual booth at CogX 2021.
 * To hear more of James’s views on how graphene could transform manufacturing
   and aerospace, watch his COVID Catalyst lecture.
 * And get in touch with Graphene@Manchester by filling in our contact form.

 

 

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