April 3, 2025 - 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Title: 

The Magic of Graphene

Abstract: 

Graphene has been called the “wonder material”, which would change the world with super-fast transistors, etc. Graphene is the first of a new class of materials called two-dimensional (2D) materials, because they are atomically thin. Graphene is the thinnest material in the world: a single layer of carbon atoms. Graphene is also the best electrical conductor in the world. But where are all these hi-tech graphene products? The problem has been in scaling-up from some truly amazing laboratory results using small flakes of graphene to manufacturing graphene devices. My research group invented a new way to make large-area, device quality graphene. In 2018, we spun-out a company, Paragraf, to exploit the research, which now employs over 100 people. Paragraf’s first product is a graphene magnetic sensor that is 10 times more sensitive than a silicon sensor and consumes up to 1000 times less power. It has potential uses in detecting colon cancer, in fusion reactors, MRI machines, preventing fires in batteries, etc.

If we combine graphene with another 2D material, we believe we can make revolutionary transistors for data centres and computers. Not only will they be superfast, but they will also be ultra-low energy. Data centres using these will no longer consume so much power and need so much cooling water. You may only need to charge your cellphone every week, not every day! These new 2D materials and devices have the potential to be the next-generation electronic devices, replacing energy-hungry silicon devices and enabling the creation of new electronics industries for the benefit of our society.