NGI - Page 2

It was recently reported that India’s first innovation center for graphene will be set up in Kerala by the Digital University Kerala (DUK), along with Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) in Thrissur, for an investment of Rs 86.41 crore (over USD$11.5 million). Tata Steel Limited is set to be the industrial partner of the center.

The chief investigators of the project, who will also lead it are Dr. AP James of DUK and Dr. A Seema of C-MET. The main collaborators include scientists from the National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, and other industrial partners from around the world.

A team of researchers from universities in Loughborough, Nottingham, Manchester, Lancaster and Kansas (US) has revealed that sonic boom and Doppler-shifted sound waves can be created in a graphene transistor.

When a police car speeds past you with its siren blaring, you hear a distinct change in the frequency of the siren’s noise. This is the Doppler effect. When a jet aircraft’s speed exceeds the speed of sound (about 760 mph), the pressure it exerts upon the air produces a shock wave which can be heard as a loud supersonic boom or thunderclap. This is the Mach effect. The scientists discovered that a quantum mechanical version of these phenomena occurs in an electronic transistor made from high-purity graphene.

Researchers at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute have created optical devices with a unique range of tunability, covering the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light.

The new study lists the possible applications for this ‘smart surface’ technology, that range from next-generation display devices to dynamic thermal blankets for satellites and multi-spectral adaptive camouflage.

Graphene raw materials supplier First Graphene and UK-based specialist materials manufacturer M&I Materials have agreed to collaborate to develop an extended range of graphene-enhanced products.

Both companies are partners at Manchester’s Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (GEIC), a facility dedicated to the commercialization of graphene. The GEIC has played a big part in enabling this collaboration and has benefited both parties in terms of the close working relationship at the same location and the extensive facilities and support available on site.

New research at the University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute focuses on graphene-enhanced smart adaptive clothing which can lower the body temperature of the wearer in hot climates.

The team of scientists has created a prototype garment to demonstrate dynamic thermal radiation control within a piece of clothing by utilizing the remarkable thermal properties and flexibility of graphene. The development also opens the door to new applications such as, interactive infrared displays and covert infrared communication on textiles.

Researchers at the National Graphene Institute (NGI) have created a method to produce scalable graphene-based yarn. Such e-textiles may have great potential for sportswear, healthcare, aerospace, and fitness applications, and so are attracting research attention worldwide.

Integrating textile-based sensors into garments in the manufacturing process is still time-consuming and complex. It is also expensive non-biodegradable, unstable, metallic conductive materials are still being used. Now, the NGI researchers have developed a process that has the potential to produce tonnes of conductive graphene-based yarn. It is possible to do this using current textile machinery without any addition to production costs. The produces graphene-based yarn is also said to be flexible, cheap, biodegradable, and washable.

LifeSaver, a UK-based manufacturer of portable and reusable water filtration systems, has announced an exclusive contract with the National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester.

The 18-month research project will focus on developing graphene technology that can be used for enhanced water filtration, with the goal of creating a proprietary and patented, cutting-edge product capable of eliminating an even wider range of hazardous contaminants than currently removed by its existing high-performance ultra-filtration process.

The collaboration between the University of Manchester and British sportswear brand Inov-8, which started in 2017 and has already produced the G-Series range of graphene-enhanced shoes, has now also resulted in a pair of hiking boots which utilize graphene.

Building on the above-mentioned use of graphene in trail running and fitness shoes last summer, Inov-8 is now bringing the technology to a market it considers to have been "starved of innovation". Two ROCLITE boots with graphene-enhanced rubber grip have been produced the ROCLITE 335 and the ROCLITE 345 GTX. The former offers increased warmth on cold days, while the latter has waterproof GORE-TEX protection for hiking adventures in wet conditions.

The Graphene Innovation center, a £60 million world-class center dedicated to researching graphene and its applications has been opened in Manchester.

The Graphene Engineering Innovation Center (GEIC) at the University of Manchester will accelerate the commercial impact of graphene and help realize its potential to revolutionize many sectors.

Scientists from The University of Manchester have combined graphene with the natural fiber jute, to create graphene-strengthened natural jute fiber composites. The team explains that this could lead to the manufacturing of high-performance and environmentally friendly natural fiber composites that could replace their synthetic counterparts in major manufacturing areas, like the automotive industry, ship building, durable wind turbine blades and more.

It could also boost the farming economies of countries such as Bangladesh, India, and China where the jute material is mainly produced the researchers from The University of Manchester claim. Jute is extracted from the bark of the white jute plant (Corchorus capsularis) and is a 100% bio-degradable, recyclable and environmentally friendly natural fiber. It is also the second most produced natural fiber in the world after cotton and is at least 50% cheaper than flax and other similar natural fibers.