University of Manchester - Page 5

Researchers the UK and Spain have demonstrated that tiny graphene neural probes can be used safely to improve our understanding of the causes of epilepsy.

The graphene depth neural probe (gDNP) consists of a millimeter-long linear array of micro-transistors imbedded in a micrometer-thin polymeric flexible substrate. The transistors were developed by a collaboration between The University of Manchester’s Neuromedicine Lab and UCL’s Institute of Neurology along with their Graphene Flagship partners.

A team of researchers, led by Professor Sir Andre Geim at The University of Manchester, in collaboration with scientists from Belgium and China, used low-energy electrons to make individual atomic-scale holes in suspended graphene. The holes came in sizes down to about two angstroms, smaller than even the smallest atoms like helium and hydrogen.

The researchers report that they achieved practically perfect selectivity (better than 99.9%) for such gases as helium or hydrogen with respect to nitrogen, methane or xenon. Also, air molecules (oxygen and nitrogen) pass through the pores easily relative to carbon dioxide, which is >95% captured.

Graphene has a great potential in the construction industry, to increase the performance of materials and structures, to reduce costs and to reduce the environmental footprint of one of the world's most polluting industries.

After years of R&D, it seems as if graphene is finally get ready for commercial adoption on the market. Here's a short interview we did with James Baker, the CEO at Graphene@Manchester who's behind much of the progress we've seen recently.

SmartIR, a spin-out of the University of Manchester, is working on a graphene-based smart coating for satellites, to allow them to control thermal radiation on demand, depending on whether a satellite’s surface is Earth’s shadow or on the side closest to the Sun.

This graphene technology is said to be a far more optimal solution as it is lightweight, has a low power consumption, can respond quickly to temperature changes, operates across the infrared spectrum, and involves no moving parts.

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.

Specialists at The University of Manchester have teamed up with global architect firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to research the design and manufacturing of space habitats for the space industry.

The view from inside the viewing deck aboard the Graphene Space Habitat. Credit: SOM and U of Manchester

The international collaboration has Dr. Vivek Koncherry and his team (supported by the Manchester-based Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre) creating a scaled prototype of a graphene-enhanced space habitat with pressurized vessels designed to function in a space environment.

National Highways will trial the use of graphene along three miles of the A1’s northbound carriageway between Newton on the Moor and West Cawledge, Northumberland, UK. If successful, using graphene could make roadworks less frequent and make roads smoother and more reliable.

National Highways is carrying out the trials with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at The University of Manchester and Pavement Testing Services (PTS).

The Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at The University of Manchester was the venue for the latest act of pioneering work in using advanced materials in construction to promote sustainability in the sector.

Nationwide Engineering, Tier 2 partners of the GEIC, re-laid parking bays on the service road adjacent to the Centre earlier this month, using its graphene-enhanced Concretene product as a ‘living lab’ to test performance in exterior conditions.

Construction company Nationwide Engineering has reported the laying of the world's first graphene-enhanced concrete slab engineered for sustainability in a commercial setting.

Team from The University of Manchester and Nationwide Engineering laying the world's first engineered graphene concrete in a commercial setting. Credit: The University of Manchester/Nationwide Engineering

The venue for this innovation milestone is located a couple of miles east of the ancient monument of Stonehenge - the new Southern Quarter gym in Amesbury's Solstice Park, owned and run by military veterans and due to open in summer 2021. This enterprise has been made possible by a joint venture between Nationwide Engineering and The University of Manchester.

Brazil’s largest steel producer, Gerdau, has launched a new company called Gerdau Graphene, which will develop and market products based on graphene materials.

The new company will also work in partnership with the University of Manchester as part of a global strategic alliance, with the aim of becoming a leading developer of graphene-enhanced products in the Americas.